I Caught Myself
by crowfliesmyass
Summary: Laura Greene, Hershel's eldest daughter, had already built up her walls when the virus hit. Keeping her family safe was her main priority and she couldn't care less about anyone else. But when a crossbow-wielding redneck and his group seek refuge on her family's farm, everything slowly changes and eventually, her walls begin to crumble. Daryl/OC (Remake of HORSES AND CROSSBOWS)
1. Chapter 1

**So it's finally up! Here's the remake of 'Horses and Crossbows', renamed 'I Caught Myself'. I'll update as constantly as I can, since we have like four seasons to get through. This is just a prologue, to introduce everyone. Hopefully we'll get to know Laura a bit more in the next chapter.**

 **Thanks for sticking with me. You guys mean a lot.**

 **And if you're new, welcome aboard! Don't even bother reading 'Horses and Crossbows'.**

 **Right. This is it.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm back!"

The dark-haired woman hung her jean jacket up on the row of hooks next to the door. A younger blonde girl came rushing through from the kitchen, excitement smothering her pale face as she pulled the woman into a tight hug.

"You took longer than usual," her muffled voice said, her face buried in the woman's shoulder. The woman pulled back, letting out a small, uneasy laugh as she slipped off her backpack.

"C'mon, Beth," she scoffed and brushed past her, guiding the blonde back to the kitchen. "I've done this a hundred times. Am I gonna get the same reaction every time I walk through that door?"

They reached the kitchen, where Patricia's hands were stuck to a knife and chopping board. The older woman looked up with a smile, setting down the knife and wiping her hands with a rag. "Finally," she huffed, placing a hand of reassurance on the dark-haired woman's shoulder. The woman flinched quickly, but composed herself before it was noticed. "Maggie's out front with of a pair of binoculars waitin' for you. What took you so long?"

Laura shrugged a shoulder and began to unpack her day's worth of findings. She had only gone to the supermarket, yet she had managed to get hold of an entire assortment of things –soap, deodorant, sanitary pads and tampons for her, Beth and Maggie. She even got a sealed box of candy bars, something she found while snooping around the loading dock. She figured Beth and Jimmy would enjoy them the most.

"I-I guess I lost track of time," she said, packing the cans of soup she managed to get into the cupboard above the sink. Beth ripped open the box of chocolate bars and helped herself to one. She handed the box to Laura, who took one out for herself.

Making her way to the fridge for the water, Patricia's voice spoke to Laura, noticing her sudden edge. "Is everything alright?" She grabbed the bottle, shut the fridge with her foot and turned back to the chopping board. The blonde teenager hopped up onto the counter, taking a bite of the bar as her eyes traveled to her sister for a reply.

Laura nodded, allowing her lips to display a forceful smile. "Yeah, everythin's good."

"You're back."

The voice turned her around and Hershel stepped into the kitchen, a faint smile set on his face. She returned it to him. "Got some soup and candy bars. Quite a lot. The rest are just some toiletries." Laura jerked her head toward the cupboard.

"Good. You make it out alright?"

She shrugged both shoulders. "I'm here aren't I?"

He nodded once. "You are."

"I was thinkin' that we need to go back to the pharmacy," she told them all. Hershel listened. "We're running low on medicine. If anything happens to one of us, we're gonna need antibiotics, maybe painkillers."

Hershel was reluctant to let Laura and Maggie go out, but he knew someone had to do it. They had been doing fine so far anyway. Since the outbreak, both had gone on runs in and around town. Mainly just to small shops –the pharmacy and the supermarket were probably the most visited.

The only ones who ever went out were Otis, Laura and Maggie. Otis went out hunting for meat when needed, while Laura and Maggie took shifts going out on supply runs. Jimmy sometimes went with Otis to learn the tricks of the trade, just in case something happened to him that would render him unable to do so. The furthest Hershel went was to the edge of the farm by the small dam. He only took the cattle out for water. Beth and Patricia stayed in and around the house.

For the rest of the day, Laura would have probably gone out riding as usual. She would have taken Nelly around the farm, maybe into the woods to the creek. By the time she'd get back, it would be around dinner time and the day would have just passed like any other. But the second it changed, was the second Maggie's distressed voice echoed through the house from the front porch, distracting everybody inside and pulling them outside to where she was.

"DAD!"

Hershel looked up, his head following the source of the voice. It caught Laura, Patricia and Beth's attention too. The front doors slammed open aggressively before footsteps thudded against the old wooden floor. Eventually, the woman was standing in the doorway of the dining room, clutching her binoculars in one hand.

"You…," she gasped, "Ya'll better come see this."

She guided them all through the house back to the front porch. What lied ahead wasn't easy to miss. There was somebody in a sheriff's hat running toward the house, clutching a child in his arms. Further behind him, Otis was running after them, just behind another man. As the first man got closer, the entire situation became clearer. The child, a little boy, was bleeding heavily. The man's shirt was already immensely stained with the crimson liquid.

"Was he bit?!" Hershel yelled out, as they reached the front of the house.

The man slowed down, shaking his head. "Shot," he wheezed, "By your man."

"Otis?" Patricia gasped.

Hershel moved closer to get a better look. The man began to panic, shifting the weight of the boy onto his other arm. "He said find Hershel. Is that you?!"

Hershel nodded.

"Help him, help my boy!"

Without a hint of hesitation in his being, the old farmer led the stranger into the house, rolling up his sleeves as he instructed Patricia and Maggie to get everything in order. Laura moved into the closest bedroom, stripping the bed of its crisp, white sheets before the man gently rolled the boy on.

"Pillowcase," Hershel requested. The man stepped back, watching the boy in horror. It was obvious that it was the man's son. The child was the spitting image of his father, even with his eyes shut tight and his body mangled in blood. Laura grabbed one of the pillows, sliding the pillowcase off with ease. She balled it around her fist and pressed it against the boy's wound while Hershel checked for a heartbeat.

"I've got a heartbeat," he broadcasted, "it's faint. Maggie, IV."

The man stood still as they tried to work around him. Patricia took the pillowcase from Laura, who tried to get the man out of the room."We need space," she told him, pushing against his chest gently, "please, we'll help your boy, but you need to give us some room."

He was unwilling to move back at first, more concerned with what they were doing to his son. Hershel looked up, seeing his reluctance to oblige. "You, what's your name?"

The man fell back against the wall, his lip trembling. Hershel repeated himself. Finally, he ripped his eyes from his boy and looked up at the vet. His eyes were terrified; the look on his face mirrored the most common expression when the virus broke out. "R-Rick," he rasped, "M- My name's Rick."

"Well _Rick_. We're gon' do everythin' we can, okay? But you need to give us some room. _Now._ "

Left with no other option, the man backed away and slowly slipped out of the room. These strangers, these complete strangers were his last hope –his _son's_ last hope. He didn't even know their names. But, he trusted them with every inch of his being to do what they could. And that's exactly what they did.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **So that's chapter 1 done and dusted. Give me a couple of days to overlook the next chapter before I post it. Tell me what you think -yay or nay? Has my writing improved?**

 **Ah well, I can't wait for the new episode tonight. Please favorite, follow and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! Jeez, over 30 followers already? Wow, you guys are amazing.**

 **So I this is a little overdue, but it's quite long so I hope that makes up for the wait.**

 **Enjoy. :D**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"As the crow flies my ass!"

Andrea forced her foot over a rusty, moss covered log. She continued walking, temporarily separating herself from the rest of the group. A sudden growl from the side turned her head in instant panic as she lunged back to further herself from the oncoming walker. She screamed as her foot hooked onto a bulging root, sending her to the ground. The rest of the group was instantly alerted.

"Andrea?" Lori called out. Then there was another scream. Combing through thin trees, they followed her voice. Andrea kicked back, urgently preventing herself from being eaten alive. In the moment, time seemed to stand still as Lori, Carol, Glenn and Daryl dodged branches and trees to reach her. She turned her head to the side, beginning to brace herself for the inevitable. In the distance, something came leaping towards her., hooves vibrating the soil underneath. It could've been anything, but the first thing that came to her mind was hope.

The walker flew off her with a solid thud to the ground a few feet away. The horse stopped. Finally, the group caught up, stopping suspiciously as the girl on the horse tucked her baseball bat away into a bag and looked down at Andrea.

"L-Lori Grimes?" her thick Southern accent gasped. Her long, chestnut hair stuck to her face. A hooked finger brushed it out. Rick didn't give her a description of his wife, so being the first woman she saw in the woods, it was assumed that the blonde woman was Lori.

Naturally, the real Lori stepped forward at the sound of her name. "I'm Lori Grimes!" she put forward, cautiously trying to come up with a reason as to how the stranger knew her full name.

"Rick sent me, you gotta come now!" the woman fussed. They all looked at Lori for a response. She knew Lori's name, now Rick's too. Confusion possessed Lori slowly, the woman huffed impatiently. "There's been an accident; your boy, Carl's been shot." That got her attention. She knew Lori, Rick _and_ Carl. Still, Lori was doubtful. "He's still alive. You gotta come now!" the woman elucidated. Lori hesitated, torn between believing her and naively falling for some kind of trap. The girl sighed, openly getting more and more edgy. "Rick needs you, Goddamnit, just come!"

That seemed to be enough to convince her. Without wasting another second, Lori slipped off her backpack and held it out for someone to take. Glenn tentatively took it from her while Daryl lunged forward, trying to stop Lori with protests.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" he argued, shaking his head. "We don't know this girl! You can't get on this horse!"

The dark-haired woman held out her hand to help Lori up. Once she was safely on, she turned to the rest of the group, putting her focus on Daryl, who had decided to take on the roll of surrogate leader in Rick and Shane's absence.

"Rick said you have others on the highway –that big traffic snarl. Backtrack to Fairmont road, two miles down is our farm, you'll see the mailbox. Name's Greene," she rushed her words with panic and adrenaline overtaking her. Without giving anybody a chance to ask more questions, she turned her horse around and took off in the same direction she had originally come from.

They grazed through the woods effortlessly, having the privilege of not crossing paths with any undead. As they glided through the tall field of grass, Laura looked up with a hint of relief as the familiar white farmhouse came into view. She had always loved the farm. Everything about it, from the barn, to the stables, brought some kind of joy inside of her whenever she returned home. This time was no different. Lori held on tight without saying a word. They closed in on the farm and two figures on the porch were noticeable. The one she immediately recognized as her father, and the second she assumed was Rick.

"Easy, boy," her voice gently called out as her grip loosened. The horse slowed down, until finally coming to a stop right in front of the house. Lori hopped down and hurried over to Rick, who was still in some kind of shock, frantically pushing him out the way to get inside the house to see her son. Laura took her time, figuring that the family probably needed some space and time to gather themselves. Hershel stayed outside with her, silently admiring the field in the distance.

"How's he lookin'?" she asked him, hopping up the steps.

Hershel looked at her without a change in expression. "He's still asleep. Hopefully he'll sleep until Otis and Shane get back."

"When d'you think they'll get back?"

He shook his head slowly. "Hopefully tonight. If not, he may not survive," he lowered his voice, wary of Rick and Lori overhearing such optimism. The woman nodded and proceeded inside, where Maggie and Patricia sat scattered around the living room in silence. She took a seat beside her sister and bowed her head. Not in prayer –she didn't believe prayer could help much anyway. Her knee began to shudder, much to Maggie's irritation, and she waited for any sign telling her that the boy would be okay. She needed Otis and Shane back, back with the necessary equipment.

At least they got one of the six fragments out of him. They were lucky that the boy passed out before they went any deeper. He did get in a few good screams, though; screams that rang through Laura's head like a pounding alarm clock without any snooze button.

"Hey," Maggie whispered, her hand gently rubbing her sister's shoulder. "You okay?"

She lifted her head, looking at her sister. Her shoulder shrugged. "Ain't my kid. Still, he is just a boy."

"You saw the rest of their group? When you got Lori?"

Laura nodded. "Yeah. There were about five or six others. They're on their way here, I think. I told them our address."

If anything good came out of it all, it was the fact that there would soon be new people to talk to. At least that's how Maggie saw it. Not that she didn't enjoy talking to her family –she just needed some fresh faces, even if they were only staying on the farm for a week or so. She was going to make the best of it.

Laura however, didn't feel anything towards the newcomers. They were just staying until the boy recovered and then they would be on their way to wherever. A part of her hoped that they wouldn't stick around for any longer than they needed to. But, like Maggie, there was a sense of excitement deep inside. Since the outbreak, she had been so enclosed from everything on the farm that she hadn't even seen another actual person. But, until then, her feelings were mixed. She agreed to give them a chance to prove to her that they wouldn't be a burden to her and a family. And so, they waited, the two of them in the living room, with Beth coming and going with Jimmy and soon, it was night time…

…

Shane and Otis still weren't back by the time the sun had set. Lori and Rick were getting restless –and they had every reason to do so. The high-school wasn't that far from the farm, it should not have taken them so long. Maggie had moved outside to wait for them, sitting on one of the old wooden rocking chairs her mother used to sit in and read her stories. Sometime later, Laura went out to join her. She was getting nervous, fearing that the worst had happened to them. To Otis.

She hopped up onto the wooden railing, swinging her legs as she spoke to Maggie, who was sitting hugging her knees tightly. "If Otis ain't back soon, I'm gonna head out," she said softly, keeping her voice at a low level to prevent Hershel from hearing.

Maggie shook her head, her frown sinking. "No," she protested, "they'll be back. We can't have you runnin' around too. Dad has enough pressure as it is."

"That boy might just die," Laura whispered sharply, leaning forward, "Dad knows that he can't do the operation without the equipment. He just doesn't have the balls to tell –"

Behind them, disguised by the night's darkness, a car pulled up in front of the gate, silencing the eldest Greene. Maggie and Laura peered over with squinting eyes, hoping that they would soon see the memorable face of Otis, carrying bags of the needed equipment. Both went quiet as two car doors slammed shut. Footsteps began digging their way into the ground, getting louder and nearer.

The rush of excitement and relief was immediately erased when instead of Otis and Shane, two strangers closed in on the house. Laura faintly recognized one of them –the Asian one. He was part of the group when she found Lori. The other man, a black man, was wrapped in a blanket. She didn't remember seeing him in the woods with the others.

From what they could hear, the two were discussing whether or not to knock before entering the house –a conversation Laura and Maggie found both strange and entertaining. Neither had noticed the Greene's on the porch as they stepped up.

"Close the gate up the road when you drove in?" Maggie asked, making their presence known. Both men paused, nearly jumped, and directed their attention to them.

"H-hi," the Asian boy finally stuttered. He nodded. "Yes we closed it. We did the whole latch thing and everything..."

A small smile stretched Maggie's lips. It was a smile of amusement, probably at the boy's sudden state of nervousness. "Good."

He looked at Laura and cocked his head. "Well it's nice to see you again. We came to help."

Simultaneously, Maggie and Laura stood up to invite them inside. But, that's when both of them got a better view of the second man, who was wrapped in the old blanket. He let out a small wince of pain as he clutched his arm, which had been poorly bandaged up. Blood was begging to ooze from the wound underneath. As expected, the worst was expected. Luckily, the Asian was prepared with reasons of insurance.

"It's not a bite," he said quickly before they had a chance to cut to any more conclusions.

"I cut myself pretty badly," the man defended himself, pulling the blanket tighter. The wound looked bad. They couldn't just leave him with an infection of that scale.

"We'll have it looked at," Laura assured him, cautiously inspecting it with her eyes. "I'll tell 'em you're here."

As she moved closer to the door, the Asian quickly reached into his backpack and grabbed two small orange containers of pills. "Uh, we have some painkillers and antibiotics. If Carl needs any –"

"Thank you," Maggie cut in, taking the two bottles from him. "Come on inside, I'll make you somethin' to eat."

The two followed Laura inside, through the house and to the guest bedroom where Rick and Lori were breathlessly awaiting Otis and Shane's return. The house was quiet. Patricia and Beth were in the kitchen. Lori and Rick hadn't moved from Carl's side. Hershel was busy checking the boy's blood pressure when the two men entered. The Asian took off his hat, clutching it as he looked at Carl in awe.

"Hey," he breathed, looking at Rick and Lori. Neither looked at him, but they recognized his presence. Laura and Maggie stayed in the doorway, letting them have a moment with their group. "Um…we're here, okay?" he said, more confidently. It finally caught the attention of Lori, who forced a small smile.

"Thank you."

It was clear that what Rick and Lori needed was more space. Plus, the infected wound needed to be checked out and treated desperately. Laura took them back to the living room, where she sat the man down at the table while she got the first aid kit. Maggie made them something to eat, as promised.

"I don't think we caught your names," Laura said, sitting opposite him as he stretched his wounded arm across the table. She carefully began peeling off the makeshift bandage someone had wrapped it in, continuing the conversation to get his attention away from the sharp pain as it stuck to his open flesh.

"I'm T-Dog," he gasped, pursing his lips in pain.

The Asian, who was leaning up against the wall lifted his hand and nodded his head. "Glenn."

"I'm Laura," she introduced herself, pouring some alcohol onto a ball of cotton. "This is gonna sting," she warned T-Dog. He gulped, bracing himself for the worst. She worked as quickly as she could, cleansing each inch of the sore as precisely as she possibly could. He bit his teeth, shutting his eyes tight and taking short, tempered breaths. "Nearly there," she soothingly assured him, and just as she said, it was over.

"My younger sister, the chick with the short brown hair is Maggie and our baby sister, Beth is in the kitchen with Patricia. Patricia's husband is Otis –the man who shot the boy. My dad's Hershel. Jimmy's upstairs."

She scrunched up the ball of cotton and tossed it aside before accurately threading a needed to stitch it all up. "Thank God for these Antibiotics. Where d'you even get 'em from? Don't look like they were over-the-counter."

"This guy," Glenn responded, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Uh, Merle Dixon. He was some kind of dealer, I'm guessing."

Laura let out a small snort as she beckoned Glenn to pin T's arm down for her. "Merle Dixon," she repeated to herself, "your friend with the Antibiotics."

"Merle's no longer with us," Glenn clarified, holding the arm down, "his brother, Daryl, gave it to us."

"And I'm not sure I'd call him a friend," T-Dog wheezed, teeth clenched as she stitched him up.

She pulled on the last stitch tight, securing everything before she tied a knot. "Well he is today. He may have just saved your life."

"Here we go."

They all looked up. Maggie came in, bringing two plates of food for the new arrivals. Once Laura was done with T-Dog, they allowed them to eat in peace. Laura and Maggie continued their talk on the porch, going back to their respective spots –Maggie on the rocking chair and Laura on the railing. It was getting late. There was still no sign of Otis and Shane. Carl's time was running out and they both knew it. Hershel knew it too.

A part of Laura wanted to go out and find them herself. Maybe they had broken down on the way. That stupid truck Otis drove always gave him problems –if it wasn't the tires, it was the battery. Maybe it was acting up again. Or, perhaps they got lost. It was dark, after all and when it came to driving, Otis had a pathetic sense of direction for a hunter.

"Maybe I should go out after 'em. They should've been back," she said aloud for Maggie to hear. She immediately regretted sharing that thought with her sister.

"Are you crazy?" Maggie's eyes were wide with worry. Her lips were dry. "Didn't we _just_ discuss this? How we all have enough pressure as it is?!"

Laura rolled her eyes, putting her focus on her boots as she swung her feet to and fro. Why was she the only would that could see the bigger picture? If Otis and Shane weren't back soon, the boy would most likely die, no matter how hard she and Hershel tried to save him. They weren't equipped to deal with something like that.

They sat in silence, a growing irritation towards each other. They didn't understand each other's point of views. Both truly believed that they were in the right.

"I'm gonna go see if dad needs any help. I can't just sit here on my ass," Laura huffed, getting up to go inside. She passed Glenn, whose head was somewhere else. He seemed distracted. He seemed troubled. She ignored him. Lori and Rick still hadn't moved from the past position. The only difference was that Rick was clutching his wife's hand with his as they watched their son sleep soundlessly.

"Dad," she whispered, pulling Hershel aside. "There isn't much time."

"I know that. He's losing too much blood. We're gonna have to do it without the equipment." Rick and Lori listened. Laura looked at the boy. He was so young. Too young to have to have gone through something like a gunshot. She looked at his parents. They were losing hope, especially Lori. She was losing hope too soon. Rick was trying to hold on for as long as he could, but if something wasn't done, he'd have lost it too. She looked at her dad, looking at her for one simple word.

"Alright," she nodded. That was enough. "We can do it."

Hershel nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. She was nervous. But at least she had him with her. He turned back to Rick and Lori. "He's losing too much blood. Much more than we'll be able to replace. If we don't do it now, he'll just slip away."

Pacing himself carefully, Rick stood up. Lori helped him. It was time. "You need to tell me right now if you want us to do it, because I think your boy is outta time," Hershel went on. Neither of them said anything, but they didn't have the luxury of time to sit and hesitate. "You have to make a choice," Hershel insisted, getting impatient.

"A c-choice?" Lori gasped, glancing at Carl.

Rick took her by the shoulders gently. He wanted her to look at him. "A choice," he repeated, "You have to tell me what it is."

Lori brought her hand up to his face, her eyes about to tell him no. Laura and Hershel looked at each other, fearing her response. Rick feared too. But, she proved them all wrong.

"We do it."

Without a second to waste, they began to prep the room for surgery. Patricia and Maggie brought everything they needed –utensils, medicine, towels, bandages, everything they could get their hands on. Beth wheeled in a steel table, just about long enough to fit Carl's body on. With a corner for each one, Hershel, Laura, Rick and Lori grabbed the sheet as tenderly as they could and lifted Carl onto the table. Patricia brought a bucket of clean, hot water. Maggie moved the lamp to the center of the room, giving them as much light as she could get.

"You may wanna step outside," Maggie warned Rick and Lori before they began. They stayed put. Hershel and Laura could wait for them. They needed to start if they were going to save the boy's life.

But, then, the most miraculous thing happened that brought everyone to a standstill. Another car pulled up in front of the house. Otis and Shane were back.

"Stay here with him," Hershel told Patricia as everybody else filed outside, frantically to get the equipment. The familiar blue pickup truck was parked right in front of the house. They made it. The boy was going to be alright. The first person out of the truck was Shane, holding a huge bag of supplies which Laura grabbed immediately. He took out another one, which Glenn took.

For a moment, nobody checked to see if Otis was even there. It was unanimously assumed that he was sitting in the passenger seat. But, when he didn't come out for a while, Hershel was the first to raise the question.

"Where's Otis?" he asked, trying to get a better look of inside the truck. Nobody was there. Laura paused and looked back as she opened the front door of the house. Shane shook his head and looked at the ground. Otis was gone. Maggie's face dropped as her bottom lip began to shake. Otis was more her friend that anyone else besides her father.

There was no time to mourn. At least not then. Laura opened the door and proceeded inside, trying to get the thought of Otis dying out of her head. She had a job to do. Carl wasn't going to lose his life because of her stupid emotions. Shortly afterwards, Hershel followed her inside and they easily set everything up. Not one word about Otis was mentioned to Patricia during it all.

Everything was finally ready. They just needed to get to work.

"You ready?" Hershel asked Laura and Patricia, who were on the other side of the table.

They exchanged looks.

"It's now or never, dad."

And so, they began.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **And so it all starts...dum dum dum...**

 **Don't forget to review, follow and favorite, you fantastic people. I'm going to edit the next chapter now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3! Holy crap, 40 followers already? Shucks, guys, really.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Pass me that rock over there," Beth asked, holding out her hand. Maggie grabbed the small, round stone and handed it over, before picking up one for herself. They were collecting rocks and stones for Otis's memorial. They had set up one a few feet from the house. There was to be a service and everything.

One thing Laura would never get out of her head was the look on Patricia's face when Rick and Hershel broke the news that Otis didn't make it out of the high-school. She fell to the kitchen floor, Hershel clutching her hand as she sobbed inconsolably. That night was one of the worst they had had in a long time. The entire house was just caught underneath a blanket of sorrow and wherever she looked, somebody was crying –Maggie, Lori, Beth. Laura only allowed herself to cry once since the operation was done and it was only once she was alone, in her room.

The plan was for the rest of Rick's group to move their camp onto the farm whilst Carl recovered and until they managed to find the missing little girl. Glenn had told them what happened –how a herd of so-called 'walkers' passed and forced them all into hiding and how the little girl, Sophia, got chased into the woods by an estranged couple of infected.

In the distance, they could hear cars getting closer. Presumably, it was the rest of the group.

"They're here," Glenn announced. They all looked up and paused, watching the line of cars get closer to the house. They tossed the last of the rocks into the wheelbarrow. Glenn was the first to head towards the house and everyone else followed eagerly to finally meet some new faces. There was an RV, a truck and a van, as well as the old station wagon Glenna and T-Dog had driven up the night before. They had more cars than really needed. And of course, there was also a guy with a motorcycle.

Beth stood shyly behind Hershel and Maggie stood beside her. Laura stayed on the porch, arms crossed as she quietly observed. It was definitely a strange group of people –very diverse to say the least. Apart from Lori, Rick and Carl, none of them even looked related. There was a blonde woman –the same one Laura had saved previously, an old man, a woman with short grey hair, who she could also vaguely remember and last but not least, the brown-haired man with the crossbow. Additionally, Glenn, T-Dog, Shane, Lori, Rick and Carl made up the rest of the group.

The old man who had jumped out of the RV was the first to speak. He instantly addressed Rick and Lori, concern shadowing his face. "How is he?"

The operation was a success. The boy was peacefully recovering in bed. Lori nodded, the edge of her lip tugging up. "He'll pull through," she gasped, as if she could hardly believe it. "Thanks to Hershel and his family."

"And Shane," Rick added, "we woulda lost Carl if not for him."

A wave of relief seemed to have crashed over everybody in their group. It was strange to see so many people again. It felt good to have new people to talk to. The old man pulled Rick into a hug, something that he definitely deserved after going such a traumatic ordeal. The older woman did the same with Lori. It was clear that Rick was the leader of the group, even if it was unofficial. The way he carried himself and the way the others respected him made it all too obvious.

"How'd it happen?" the old man wondered. Laura took some time to study everyone. Maybe come up with some fictional background stories inside her head.

Rick heaved a deep breath and shrugged one shoulder. "Hunting accident," he said, shaking his head. "That's all; just a stupid accident."

Well, he wasn't lying. Otis would have never purposely shot a child. He was a pure man of God. Hershel gave them a brief explanation of what had happened the night before and how they had lost Otis. He invited the newcomers to his service, an invitation they all accepted. It wasn't anything more than an act of respect and gratitude for allowing them to stay on the farm. They didn't even know Otis. They took a few minutes to touch base. Hershel got his Bible and they all went down to the memorial together.

"Blessed be God, Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ," Hershel began, closing his Bible after reading a short extract. He read aloud Otis's favorite quote; one out of the Book of John.

"Praise be to him, for the gift of our brother, Otis, for his abundance of character," he went on, tucking his wooden cane underneath his arm. Beth gently placing her rock on top of the forming pile above Otis's memorial. As she stepped back into the circle, Laura stepped forward with her stone, carefully setting it down. Hershel continued. "Otis, who gave his life to save a child. Now more than ever, our most precious asset. He died as he lived; in grace." There was a brief pause of silence. He turned to Shane, who was wearing a pair of Otis's old overalls. "Will you speak for Otis?"

He shook his head, not taking his eyes off of the pile of stones in the middle of the circle. "Not good at it," he choked on his words, "I'm sorry."

"You were the last one with him," Patricia pleaded with him, her lip quivering. "You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

Shane took a deep breath as everyone awaited his eulogy. He looked down, trying to remember each detail, each and every part of the story before he started. "…Me…" he breathed then gulped, "we were…almost out of ammo. I was limpin'. It was bad," his voice croaked. Beth grabbed hold of Maggie and Laura's hands on both sides of her for some kind of reassurance. Laura gave it a small squeeze.

" _'We gotta save the boy_!'," Shane went on, "see, that's what he said…he gave me his backpack and shoved me ahead. ' _Run_ ' he said. 'e said ' _I'll take the rear; cover you'_. And when I looked back…"

He didn't have to tell the end. They all knew already. Patricia covered her face with her scrunched up tissue, trying to get herself together.

"If not for Otis," Shane gulped, picking up a stone and limping forward to the pile, "I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both."

He turned to Patricia, nodding his head slowly with reassurance. "If any death had meaning, it was his."

That seemed to be enough closure for her. She knew for sure that her husband died in grace, sacrificing himself to save not only Shane, but Carl too. It was mutually hated to think that had he not done that, Carl would probably not have survived.

Slowly, Rick's group dispersed. They didn't hang around any longer than needed. Each one of Hershel's family took their time to mourn, and slowly, one by one, they followed the others back to the house, where the others had started putting up tents and setting up their new, temporary camp. It was clever how they did it; spreading the cars out around the tents for extra fortification. The RV was parked on the edge with the old man sitting in a camping chair on top, keeping guard.

Hershel and Patricia went back inside. Laura and Maggie lingered around outside, familiarizing themselves with the new faces. They let it known to Rick that should his group need any help with anything, he could count on them to assist wherever.

"Do you have a map?"

Laura and Maggie looked at each other, the same map coming up in their heads. "There's one in the kitchen," Laura nodded, gently nudging her sister's arm with her elbow. "Go get it."

"Thank you."

Maggie took off for the house, leaving Laura with Rick and Shane.

"You run a tight ship," she said, looking around. Very diverse, indeed. "So, who's who?"

Rick took it upon himself to show her, pointing at each person as they went. "That's Dale up on the RV, he usually keeps watch," he started. Noticing them looking and pointing, Dale waved at this with his hat in hand. Laura smiled, briefly waving back. "Daryl is the one with the crossbow. The blond woman is Andrea, the other Carol. You know Shane, Glenn and T-Dog from last night." He didn't have to include himself, Lori or Carl. Soon, Maggie burst through the grove, clutching the old map in her hand.

"This is perfect," Rick nodded, laying down the map across the hood of one of the cars. Shane pinned the corners down with stones. "We can finally get this thing organized."

Laura and Maggie wanted in. With Hershel, they took up one side of the bonnet, while Daryl, Andrea and Shane stood across the hood. They all listened to Rick, who had appointed himself the middleman. "We'll grid the whole area," he said, swiping his finger around the perimeter of the woods on the map. "Starting by searching in teams."

Naturally, Hershel protested immediately. Rick was in no condition to travel. "Not you," he argued, shaking his head. "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out." Nobody argued back. If anybody's advice was to be heeded, it was Hershel's. He turned to Shane, who had injured his foot sometime on the run with Otis. "And your ankle."

"Guess it's just me," Daryl shrugged, tightening the crossbow that hung over his shoulder and leaning over to see the map. "Imma head back to the creek; work my way from there," he said, pointing to exactly where he was planning on heading.

Shane nodded his head slowly "I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate and see if Sophia wondered back."

Happy that everybody knew their job, Rick nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow we'll start doing this right."

As soon as there was an open window to protest, Shane grabbed it. He directed his point to Hershel discreetly, but his frequent glances at the man gave away his game. "That means our people can't walk around with just knives."

If he wanted to subtly throw out a hint, he did a bad job. Nevertheless, Hershel heard him out and refused. "I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've made it so far without turning this into an armed camp."

Shane sighed irritably. The way he put himself across made it easy for Laura to take an instant disliking. He had asked Hershel, who declined and yet, he insisted some more. He ought to be grateful that they were offering his group security and food until Carl recovered.

"With all due respect –"

Rick shot him down, reading Hershel's frown. "We're guests here," he reminded his group and shot Hershel a glance. "It's your property and we _will_ respect that." To uphold his word, he put his gun on the hood. A reluctant Shane followed suit, followed by Andrea, the blonde woman. It was obvious that the man with the crossbow wasn't intending on handing in his weapon anytime soon. Glenn had mentioned earlier that the group had a hunter. It would only make sense to be armed with a crossbow to catch an animal.

"First things first," Rick went on, "set camp and find Sophia."

"Look, I hate to be one to say this, but someone's got to; what happens if we find her and she's bit? I think we should all be clear on how to handle that," Shane spoke, as if he couldn't keep his point in any longer.

"You do what has to be done."

The turn of discussion grabbed Maggie's attention right away. She straightened up, her eyes widening at the topic. "And her mother? What do you tell her?"

"The truth." The response came from Andrea, who had been silent throughout the conversation thus far. It seemed cold, her reply, and put Maggie at even more discomfort. Laura locked her mouth, shaking her head slowly when Maggie turned to her to intervene. It wasn't exactly her place to decide the little girl's fate. Hell, they didn't even _know_ the little girl. It was apparent that the group before them were somewhat 'more experienced' by the way they were talking. They had obviously dealt with a similar situation before.

"I request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience." Shane moved from the previous discussion quickly. It took a moment for Maggie and Laura to get their heads clear, after hearing the abnormally casual response to finding an infected girl.

However, it seemed that the rest of the group had already gotten over it too, with Rick turning back to Hershel, who was still on edge about the whole gun situation "Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun," he put forward, taking a more gradual approach at the request. A reluctant Hershel eventually agreed only to this one term if it meant that Shane would give his argument a rest and nobody would be carrying a gun around the house.

"D-Do you have any more antibiotics and bandages?" The question came from Laura, who expressed herself mainly to Rick, since he seemed to know what was going on.

Andrea piped up us she pushed herself off the car and made her way to the camp. "Only what you see."

"Well we're short already," Laura sighed, exchanging peeks with her sister, who had almost read her mind. They kept Hershel in the dark for the moment, knowing too well that he'd be eager to protest, especially since they now had ten more available people to head out instead of his daughters. Most of the group dispersed to set their camp up, while Laura, Maggie and Hershel stayed behind with Rick.

The younger Greene nodded her head, accepting the challenge Laura had set out. "I should make a run into town."

Rick frowned as his head perked up upon hearing the suggestion. "Not the place Shane went," he expressed his concern.

Laura scoffed, looking over Hershel to see his face. Just as expected, he wasn't too pleased, yet, he didn't argue. "No. There's a pharmacy just a mile down the road. We go all the time."

That seemed to put Rick at ease. As if Laura would allow her sister to go to the high-school after just losing Otis anyway. He scratched his nose, looking over his shoulder at one of his group. The Greene's eyes followed his and the only person in view was Glenn. "See the man over there in the baseball cap? That's Glenn, our go-to-town expert," he told them, looking back at Hershel. "I'd ask him to go along, just to be cautious."

Hershel looked at Maggie with no argument to give. He jerked his head toward Glenn, beckoning her to do as Rick said.

"I'll see if any of your people need any help." Laura left shortly after Maggie. She shortly found herself right in the middle of the new campsite.

"This farm is beautiful," Dale gushed, helping Carol put up her tent next to T-Dog's. Laura smiled, gently tossing a couple of wooden logs in the centre of the campsite, where Rick told her they'd be setting up a fire place. As she went back to the cut-up pile to get the last pieces of wood, the crossbow-wielding guy, who Rick had introduced to them as Daryl, swiftly picked up the pile she was going to pick up.

"Oh, you don't have to," she protested. "I'm sure I can handle it."

He didn't look at her. "I got it," his gruff voice grunted and he brushed past her, effortlessly throwing the longs into the pile she had created.

She followed him. He led her back to the cars and they threaded between the parked vehicles. "Uh, wait up," she called out. He ignored her and continued walking. She followed him to his motorcycle, where a couple of his bags were lying on the ground.

"What?" he groaned without looking at her for a second.

"You're Daryl."

He snorted and picked up his bags. "Well I ain't Elvis," he shot back. She followed him back to the campsite.

"You gave your friend Antibiotics and painkillers. It saved him and helped save the boy," she spoke. He listened without showing her any sign of attention. "Thank you."

As if he didn't hear single word she said, he threw his bags into an empty tent on the outskirts of the actual campsite and climbed inside. Out of the lot, he was definitely the coldest. Laura had already figured out everybody's role within their group –Rick was the leader, Lori being his wife was the First Lady, Shane was the hothead (perhaps a little more), Carol was the widow who had lost her child, Dale was the wise old man, Andrea was the independent woman, Glenn was the errand boy, T-Dog was the man who had rounded up as many people as he could when it hit, and Daryl was the hunter. The self-isolating, cold hunter.

She had already decided that she liked Glenn and Dale best, based on the fact that they put the most effort into trying to get to know her and her family. Lori and Rick spoke with them too, but gave her the feeling that their only reason for doing so was because they saved Carl. But all seemed nice enough, well most of them at least. They definitely had her respect for keeping together for so long.

There wasn't much to do around the camp, since everybody pitched in to help them set up. Laura saw her window to go out into the woods, taking one of the horses into the woods. She tried to do that every day. It gave her peace of mind for some reason, being out there all by herself, and it gave her a chance to think straight, with a clear head and an open mind. She got to the stables, immediately going for the last stall, Raine's stall. She was Maggie's. Usually, she alternated between horses to give each one a chance out of the stables.

But, the stall was empty. Not even a trace of Raine was left behind. The only clue given was that one of the saddles were gone too, meaning either someone had taken her for a quick ride or she somehow got out and ran away. Running away wasn't too big of an issue because she always came back. She wanted to know exactly where she was and who had taken her.

It wasn't anyone from her family –Maggie hadn't left with Glenn to go to the pharmacy yet. Neither Beth or Patricia would have taken her and Hershel and Jimmy were outside, within her sight. It lead to her suspicions to Rick's group as she stuck her head out of the stables to do a head count. Rick was there with Shane. Dale was on top of the RV. Carol and Andrea were moving their bags into tents. T-Dog was checking the perimeter of the farm. Lori was inside the house, with Carl.

But there was no hunter. And as she remembered, the hunter said that he was going to go out into the woods to look for the little girl. She sucked the inside of her cheek as she shook her head, rolling her eyes out of irritation. Who was he to just take one of her horses and go out without her permission?Sliding on a saddle over Nelly's back, she climbed up and broke into a quick trot, before gaining momentum as they reached the edge of the farm. She was going to find Raine and bring her back, with or without that hunter.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **And so they officially meet...**

 **Don't forget to drop me a thought, I'm always keen for suggestions.**

 **Next chapter coming up soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go, round 4. Enjoy. And please excuse any errors, I'm extremely tired right now and I know that I probably overlooked a few mistakes**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx**

It didn't take much to find her horse. All Laura had done was gone down the trail through the woods, inspecting each and every detail that was out of place. Nelly moved slowly, obediently as always and only picked up the pace when given permission. The trail took her right down, just before the creek, and at that point, there was still no sign of Raine or the hunter. She was starting to get madder, more impatience was building up inside.

She was going to let that man have it when she found him, even if that meant that she went back and waited for him back at the farm. Maybe she would have a word with Rick about controlling his people and their nosy tendencies. It stilled stunned her how Daryl had just taken Raine and rode off into the forest without saying a single word or asking her. And she needed to get back soon –Maggie was planning on taking the horses on her run with Glenn to the pharmacy. Besides, she needed to head back to check on Carl.

But her luck flipped when she decided to take a detour, a short-cut back to the farm. It meant passing the old abandoned shack, informally labeled as 'the Clubhouse' by her old friends, back when they were kids. Back when they were actually _alive_. No matter what Hershel said to her, she knew better than to naively believe the things he said. Unlike Beth, who feasted on their father's false hope and blunt lies about the infection. There was no cure, and everyone they once knew was dead. She knew it, Maggie knew most of it, but there was a part of Beth that lived in a fantasy. Both of them –Beth and Hershel.

Laura hadn't been to the shack in years. The last time was sometime during high-school. A bunch of her friends had snuck out to meet there. Someone had even brought whiskey and that was the first time she had ever had a drink.

Her memories dissolved quickly, as she rounded the house from the back. Tied up to a tree by the front door was Raine, who was perfectly saddled and ready to be ridden. She went closer, jumping off Nelly and hooking her reins onto the tree, before she went for her other horse.

"Hey, Raine, sweety. What the hell are you doin' here?" she spoke softly to the horse as she rubbed his ear. He bowed his head, beckoning her to continue, and she did, until something moved inside the old shack. Someone or something was inside. Fearing the worst, she her immediate instinct was to slowly creep back to Nelly, where she grabbed her baseball bat from her bag.

Taking it step by step, she crept inside. She knew the interior of the place inside out. It was an abandoned shack –the very one her and her friends used to play in as children. As they got older, it turned into their own private getaway. A place they could go to escape when needed. As far as she knew, all of her friends were dead. If someone was inside, she wanted to know exactly who it was and why they had any business being there.

Her steps were light as she went through the already-opened door. No other footsteps could be heard from inside, but she knew someone was there. Behind a wall, she crouched down and gave a listen. The faintest footsteps began to get louder. Someone was definitely there. She got up and moved to the other wall, carefully perusing the footsteps. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead as she concentrated on the sound.

Pressing herself against another wall when the footsteps got close enough, she prepared herself to beat the crap out of anything that moved if it meant not dying. Whatever, or whoever it was, was getting remarkably closer and closer. That was it. She had to do it. She stepped out of her position, bat raised frantically in the air, ready to collide with a dead face.

But, it wasn't a corpse.

" _What the hell?_!" the person cursed. It was Daryl. His crossbow was naturally raised. A bolt was aimed directly between her eyes.

Her eyes widened frantically and she dropped the bat. "Wait!"

"Are you crazy?! You creepin' around, scarin' the shit outta me, I could've killed you!" he snapped, lowering his crossbow. He spun around, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder as he pushed the door open and went outside.

She picked up her bat and angrily paced after him, demanding answers. "Hey, what the hell is _my_ horse doin' out here?!" she ordered. "Did you even ask?!"

"You seen a girl?" he asked desperately, not at all bothering to reply to her questions about the horse. Yes, he had taken it, and no, he hadn't asked.

Laura shook her head. "No, s-sorry."

He let out an irritated huff, as if it was her fault that the girl was missing in the first place. She was curious to know how the girl had gone missing anyway; there were at least ten adults in the group. Were they insinuating that nobody was capable of keeping their eyes on one little girl? "SOPHIA!" He moved fast, pacing the garden as he looked around the surrounding woods.

"I'd be amazed to know how a group of ten managed to let a girl out of their sights." Her thoughts were expressed too soon for her to take it back. It was the wrong thing to say to him, as it seemed, and his face twisted.

"Go back to the damn farm," he spat, his temper thinning the more he spoke to her. She let him have that one. It wasn't her place to ask questions, especially about something she played no part in. But still, he had no right to dismiss her like that. He was lucky that she didn't take both horses straight back to the farm and leave him to find his way back on foot.

"How does she look?" She tried to make up for her past statement. He was taken aback by her sudden concern. But, he knew better than to trust her so soon. In week or so, she would be out of his life again and everything would be back to normal. The boy would be okay, and the girl would be with her mother again. He disregarded her.

"Hey, maybe I can help –"

"Can't. Goodbye."

She bit her cheek, inhaling a good amount of fresh air. With his back facing her, he waited for her to leave before he went back. The last thing he needed was to be held responsible for one of the farmer's daughters not making it back. She stared at the back of his head, and if looks could kill, he would have been gone. Finally, she exhaled and pulled herself back to the horses, pushing past him as she did so.

"Douche bag."

He followed her back to the horses and she swiftly climbed onto hers. He stayed behind, pretending to adjust the saddle. Something in the garden had grabbed his attention. Laura didn't stick around to find out what his deal was. She headed back to the farm without saying anything more, giving him the horse to get back.

By the time she got back, Daryl was still out. She took Nelly back to the stables, taking her time, hoping to see that asshole bring Raine back to the farm. After not even having the decency to ask, the least he could do was make sure she was fed and brought back safely. Maggie and Glenn were waiting them, to take the horses out. Glenn took Hershel's horse while Maggie took Nelly. Laura went back to the house to check on things.

Jimmy was out with Hershel, out by the dam with the cattle. The house was quiet. As it seemed, Rick and Lori were inside, at Carl's side. They had been there since setting up camp and by the looks of it, they hadn't even eaten yet. Laura stepped into the room, leaning against the doorway as stared at the sleeping boy. At least he was okay.

"I'll stay here with 'im for a little while," she blurted, clearing her throat to grab their attention. "You two need to get something to eat. If he wakes up, I'll get Beth to let you know." It took a lot to finally convince Lori to get some food. But, she gave in and Rick took her outside for some fresh air. Laura sat beside the bed, her feet propped up on the mattress as she opened the bedside table up to find something to entertain her.

There was a Bible. She closed the drawer. She'd rather not do anything at all that read the Bible.

She sat there for minutes, thinking. Thinking about how Carl's life used to be –the typical suburban life with a stay-at-home mother and a police officer as a dad. She felt excited for him to wake up. Maybe she could teach him to ride a horse and he could feed the cattle and chicken. It was going to be nice to have a kid around. All she had was Beth, who was only sixteen years old, but still.

Carl slowly began moving his arm, alerting Laura immediately. She sat up, took her feet off the bed and shifted to the edge of the chair. Gradually, his eyes began to open. He looked up at the ceiling. His lips moved.

"M-Mom?"

Laura moved closer. He turned his head to look at her. "No sweetie, I'm Laura. Your mama just went to get somethin' to eat. She'll be back soon," she assured him.

Carl smiled weakly. "I'm Carl," he said, his voice a bit clearer.

"You're very brave, Carl," she told him, smiling back down at him.

"C-can I get up?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid not yet. But soon, you'll be up and about. We have horses, pigs, chickens and even cows. You're gonna really like it here."

His grin widened. "You think my mom will let me ride a horse?"

"Won't hurt to ask," she laughed. He was such a child, focusing on the small things while he was lying with a gunshot wound. His youth was uplifting, it made her happy. "But first, you have to get some more rest, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"Alright, then."

He closed his eyes again and his head flopped to the side. He looked like Rick –he had the eyes and the hair and everything. She folded her arms, lightly chewing the inside of her lip as she waited for either Rick or Lori to return. And the door did open after a short while, but neither Rick nor Lori walked in. It was Beth, clutching plate and a glass of freshly-squeezed apple juice on a tray.

"It's lunch," she smiled, handing over the silver tray. Laura took it immediately, putting the glass down on the bedside table to prevent it from falling. She dug into her sandwich, the sweet taste of mayonnaise hitting her tongue. Beth stayed, leaning against the doorway as her sister ate. "What do you think of the new people?" she asked softly, not talking her sharp blue eyes off of the sleeping Carl.

Laura sat back in her chair, setting the second half of the sandwich down. "They're alright. Most of 'em at least." Her mind flickered back to two people particularly. Two people that already pushed her buttons in different ways. Shane was hungry for power and for his own perspective to be heeded each time, Daryl was rude and stubborn. Everyone else was fine.

"Do you trust 'em?"

Beth's words caused a sigh from Laura, who shrugged. "It's too soon to tell. Some of 'em ain't exactly friendly." It was going to take more than a day to figure out exactly how she felt about each one of them, and so far, two had already made the list of people she didn't want on the farm. There was a growing expectation that more of the group would join the list as time went. "How 'bout you?"

The younger Greene lifted her shoulders, her lips folding into a half-smile. "I haven't really spoken to any of 'em."

Laura shrugged. She had spoken to Rick for a good few minutes, as well as Dale and Lori. But, then there was Daryl, who she didn't even bother counting. "Yeah, don't even bother," she assured her, "they ain't stayin' long."

"What 'bout that little girl they lost?"

She went quiet, unable to conjure a response. Honestly, she had absolutely no idea, as far as the girl was concerned and by how things were looking when she found Daryl, things weren't exactly looking up. She didn't know if they were ever going to find her, but maybe she was being too pessimistic. She had yet to find out what the group was capable of when they put their minds to it.

"To be honest, Beth, I don't know, but I hope they find her."

"Me too."

And with that, the younger Greene stepped back out into the kitchen, leaving Laura alone with Carl once again.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **I can't wait for them to get to the prison. Urgg, season 2 was so boring.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So guys, looks like I'm not dead yet. That being said, I'm really sorry for this late update.**

 **Thank you and enjoy!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Just as it was decided, Rick's group dedicated the next day to finding the little girl. Rick, Shane and Daryl were the only ones going out. Of course, with Shane's ankle and Rick's recovering blood pressure, the two of them couldn't go too far, despite their insistence that they were both good enough to go out. That left Daryl, once again, who volunteered to check out the area around the creek, just further than he had searched the previous day. The rest of group stayed on camp. Lori and Carol did the washing, while Andrea perched herself on top of the RV with one of the rifles. Glenn, T-Dog and Dale stuck around to help wherever needed.

For the Greene's, they had agreed to not get too comfortable around the guests. That one was a request from Hershel. They tried their best to go about their business, but it was nearly impossible with the group staying on the farm.

Once again, by the time Laura got to the stables, one of her horses was gone. This time, it was Nelly. She didn't even have to think about who might have taken her.

"Motherfucker…," she sucked in her breath, marching over to the mess Daryl had left behind, sorting through the saddles. The least he could do was pack everything away. But there was nothing she could do and she knew he would at least bring her back. Besides, it was for a good cause, she tried to convince herself over and over again. It was for a little girl. She grabbed her own saddle, letting out a small grunt as she lifted it up onto Raine, who was a little too eager for a run.

"Alright, girl, let's go." She hooked her foot and in once slick movement, boosted herself onto the horse. In no more than a few minutes, the farmhouse was out of sight and out of mind, just the way she sometimes liked it. They were in the woods –the quiet and open woods, her mind free to think about anything she wanted to.

The cool breeze massaged her face as Raine galloped through the woods. She already knew where she had to go –they had been using the same path for years. They were getting closer to the creek, where they usually stopped to rest. Raine would usually cool herself down in the water while Laura sat on the side, enjoying the warm sun against her skin.

They couldn't be afforded that luxury anymore. It was no longer safe. They were lucky enough that they could still go out, considering the circumstances. They made it to the creek, passing it slowly, minding the thick tree roots as they maneuvered through.

It didn't take long for Laura to see something unusual in the creek. She knew the area like the back of her hand and if anything was ever out of place, she could tell immediately. It wasn't a rock, as she originally assumed. Curiosity ached for a closer look.

"Hey hey," she whispered, rubbing the horse's neck with her hand calmingly. Raine's gallops progressively turned into short trots, until she stopped. Laura's eyes narrowed as she looked down into the creek. On the side, just out of the water, there was a body lying in the dirt. She swung her leg over the saddle and hopped off to get a better peek. Then, just beside the body's feet, she saw a crossbow.

"Is that…," she mumbled to herself, pushing her body behind a tree for stability. It couldn't be him. But, she didn't see him back at the farm when she left. "Shit." She swiftly moved back to Raine, grasping her rein and tying to a nearby tree. "I'll be right back, girl," she said, grabbing her baseball bat from her bag before carefully making her way down to the body.

She moved closer, her bat raised behind her head steadily. It was definitely him. It was definitely Daryl. Her bat lowered as she reached him. He was in bad shape. There was blood on his face and hands, mixed with a thick layer of mud. On his side, an arrow stuck out, his blood staining his shirt.

"Hey," she called out, the toe of her boot gently kicking his foot. He didn't move. She tried again. "Daryl. C'mon, wake up."

But, he was out. Maybe even dead. She threw her bat on the ground as her knees grinded the dirt next to him. She pressed her ear against his chest, carefully minding the bolt in his side. There was a faint heartbeat. If he didn't regain consciousness soon, the chances of him surviving would be even slimmer. At least she knew he was alive. The next priority was to inspect his wounds. She lifted her head off his chest, a rush of panic overtaking her.

"Hey!" she gently shook his shoulders, "Wake up!"

She patted his cheek, which got a deep sigh out of him. She jumped back, watching as his eyes began to flutter. Thank God. Crawling back to him, she ripped off her jacket and crumbled it up before lifting his head and pushing it underneath.

"Easy now," she started, "You might have a concussion. You'll need to rest before you can –"

"…Merle…," he muttered, seemingly ignoring her. The corner of his lip flickered upwards as if he was trying to smile. Laura looked up and around. Nobody was there. Merle was his brother –she knew that much. But as far as she was concerned, he was dead. "…A shitty day, bro…," he went on, his eyes slowly closing again.

"Daryl, there ain't nobody here."

"Screw you."

Laura shook her head, her eyes widened as she let out a huff of disbelief. He was in some kind of delusional state, she thought, not that cursing at her was anything new. He was slipping in and out of consciousness, still in his trans-like state of mind. There was nothing she could do but wait it out, until he woke up for real.

"…A girl…," he groaned, his eyes opening again, "we lost a little girl…Shut up. We tried like hell to find you, bro."

She settled down, sitting on the cold dirt beside him. Daryl went on, mumbling to himself as he spoke with a figure of his imagination. "We went back for you, Rick and I," he nodded his head slowly. His blue eyes opened even more, staring blankly at the sky. "I ain't nobody's bitch." That seemed to be the last of it for a good few moments. His eyes slowly closed again, his lips parted. It looked like he was done.

A splash in the water startled her. She jumped up, darting her eyes toward the source of the noise. Panic quickly overtook her being. It was a –well, she didn't really know what to call them. She could have sworn that she had overheard Rick's group call them 'walkers', but her father had always referred to them as infected. Whatever it was, it scared her, the growls and grumbles it made as it inanimately dragged its body toward her and Daryl.

Laura moved closer to Daryl, leaning over him as her hand viciously tapped his leg to wake him up. "Daryl, wake up," she called out, not taking her eyes off the incoming company. It was getting closer and all she had was a baseball bat. "Daryl! Wake up!" she panicked, the thing closing in. But he wasn't budging.

She dived for her bat, standing up as she clutched it in her tight hands above her head. That was it. She could do it. She just needed to take the swing and the thing would be on the ground, dead. So, that's what she did. The bat swept in fast, furiously colliding with the monster's stomach. It hunched over, getting out another growl, but she beat it again, slamming the baseball until it hit the ground. It wasn't dead, though, and she found that out the hard way after moving closer to its body and poking it with her bat.

It quickly grabbed her leg, pulling harder than she thought it was capable of. Laura fell to the ground, her bat flying out of her loosened hand, the dead clutching her leg and yanking it closer to its mouth.

"NO!" she hissed, pushing herself back, kicking the dirt as her foot pounded against its decomposing face. She reached out for the bat, her teeth tightly clenched as her breaths shortened.

But, something pierced through the air right off her face, impaling the thing's head as its lifeless body finally fell down. The dead hand loosed around her ankle and she immediately crawled back to create some distance. Not even a second later, another walker appeared out of nowhere, from an even closer point. She backed away, nearer to Daryl

"D-Daryl!" she gasped desperately, but he was already on it. Without hesitation, he ripped the bolt out of his side, biting his teeth as muffled screams forced its way out of his lips. He got it out, holding it between his teeth as he adjusted his crossbow to reload, using the strength he had left. As the walker closed in, only inches away from them, he took the shot, successfully bringing it down with a single shot between the eyes.

When she looked back at him, he was on the ground, his crossbow resting beside him. At least he was awake, at least she knew that she didn't have to explain to Rick how one of his men died in the woods. Daryl lay there, catching his breath after the whole episode. Laura let him. It was the least she could do after he saved her life. For a while, neither of them said anything to each other, until he forced out a distorted groan.

"W…what the hell you doin'?" he asked, lifted his head up to look at her.

She gulped. "I was out ridin', saw you layin' down here, thought I'd check you out," she explained herself, more afraid of the dead walkers around them than him. She had to look at the bodies every once in a while to assure herself that they were dead.

"Touchin'. I'm fine, though, so why don't you head on back to the farm," he spat, coldly through his solid face. He sat up, slowly, pushing himself as it seemed. Laura stood up with ease, dusting the back of her pants with her hands.

"You need help," she frowned as she watched him try to stand up. "Stay here, and I'll go back, I'll get Rick and –"

"No!" he snapped back, his hands on his knees as he bowed his head over in pain. "Just go back to the farm." Laura stepped forward, ignoring his demands. But he moved back, swinging his arm through the air as he turned to her. "Ain't you got ears? I'm fine! Now go back!"

She backed off. It was more than clear that she wasn't going to win that one. Besides, he was nothing to her, just a temporary guest. She didn't owe him anything. Her debt had already been paid out in full as soon as she went down the creek.

"Alright," she sighed, "I'll go back. Ain't like I wanted to stay with you anyway." She said it as coldly as she could as she brushed past him, making her way back to the trail which led her to him in the first place. She didn't know what her next move was, whether or not she should tell Rick and his group. All she wanted at that point was to get out of there, with or without Daryl. But he was injured. _Badly_ injured. And she was supposed to be a doctor, supposed to _help_ people. She stopped.

Daryl watched her, waiting for her to say something again. He was ready to throw some harsh words at whatever it was she wanted to badly to say to him.

"Take off your shirt."

It wasn't quite what he had expected. She turned around and marched back to him with such force that he took a small step back. "Take off your shirt," she demanded again, her voice much more forceful than ever before. "Take it off and rip it in half. Use one half to press against the wound and the other to secure it." He stared at her blankly, not moving a muscle. Then, she took off again, leaving for real. She disappeared quickly, somehow making it back up without any real effort. The next he saw of her was when she was up, on her horse and everything. They passed the creek, not even giving him a second look as they headed back.

When she was gone, he took off his shirt, heeding her advice after all. He was going to do it anyway –he didn't need some lady's instructions to take care of himself. Just as she told him, he peeled off the damp shirt, ripping it up into two separate pieces. The bigger side was bundled up as he pressed it against his side. The other strip he tied around his waist, securing it. It already felt better.

"Bitch was right," he muttered, picking up hiss crossbow from the ground. Now, all he had to do was somehow make it to the top…

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Don't forget to review! Thanks a bunch!**


	6. Chapter 6

**New update! Yeah! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites, by the way! Enjoy this one.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxx**

When she got back to the farm, she contemplated whether or not she should tell Rick about Daryl. It wasn't as if she had an obligation. Rick and his people were practically as good as nothing to her, and like Hershel had said, they wouldn't be staying at the farm for much longer. Still, it was a life on the line –asshole or not. She knew he would make it back; he was a tough fighter. Plus, he told her not to. If he died out there, it would be on _his_ own hands and not hers. She owed him nothing.

So, she just put Raine back. It was only then that she noticed Nelly was still missing and she wasn't with Daryl in the woods. She must have left him there, spooked by something she must have seen. She would be back though and Laura knew it. She _always_ came back home, safe and sound.

"You alright?" The question came from Beth as she made her way to the porch of the farmhouse. The teenager was sitting outside, rocking back and forth on one of the old rocking chairs.

Laura stopped, a small smile taking on her lips. Beth was so young, yet she instantly knew when something was off, even if it was slight. She had that nurturing factor about her and it comforted almost anyone she used it on. "I'm fine, Bethy," she said, moving closer to the blonde. "Are _you_ okay?"

She nodded. "Maggie's inside with Carl. He woke up again. Daddy says he'll be able to walk soon." And that meant that the group was one step closer to leaving. Laura bent down, picking up the empty plate and glass at Beth's feet. Beth shook her head. "You don't have to –"

"I got it." She set the glass on top of the plate, holding it in one hand. She needed something to do anyway, even if it was washing up. Patricia was probably in the kitchen, planning dinner. "Where's Jimmy?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the farm for any sign of him. He was always running around, especially since Rick's group had moved onto the farm. She only ever saw him in the morning and at night, never during the day. Beth shrugged. "…Well okay then," Laura's voice died out as she shook her head, before finally going inside. Beth followed.

Just as she expected, Patricia was in the kitchen. But not alone. Carol and Lori were with her, chatting happily as they chopped up vegetables and moved around the kitchen. It felt strange to Laura, and something inside her didn't like what she was seeing. But another part seemed to relax. It seemed kind of natural. Beth knew what was going on though, as she brushed past Laura to join them. She followed slowly, only to wash up, but Lori intervened.

"Oh, it's alright, I'm washing up," she insisted, holding out her hand. Laura handed it over and watched as Lori tossed it into the sink with the rest of the dishes.

"Thanks." Her response was slow and hesitant. She wanted to know what the hell was going on. She wondered what Hershel's thoughts were, but she imagined that he wasn't too happy when he saw them all in the kitchen. But Patricia looked happy, and so did Beth. And for once, Carol didn't seem so tense. Perhaps it wasn't so bad. Maybe she was making a mountain out of a mole hill. "Maggie's with Carl?" she asked openly. Lori responded with a short nod and Laura took off to find her sister.

Just as Lori and Beth had said, Maggie was in one of the rooms, flicking through a book as she sat beside the bed. Laura leaned against the doorway and watched Carl. He was fast asleep, an innocent smile faintly on his lips.

"So what's happenin' in the kitchen?" she brought it up, unable to let it go. She just wanted to know why and who had given permission.

Maggie closed her book, heaving a sigh. It was clear that she wasn't in the mood for that conversation, most probably because she had already had it with Hershel earlier, but Laura didn't care. "Carol and Lori wanted to make dinner for us. To thank us for everythin'," she said monotonously, already bored.

"And they asked _you_?"

"Yes," she responded, nodding. "And I said yes. I don't see a problem."

Laura shook her head, frowning. "Don't be like that, Mags. You know why –"

"No I don't," the younger Greene snapped. "I really wish you and dad would stop bein' so selfish. They _need_ our help and they're _good_ people."

Although slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst, Laura rolled her eyes. "That's not the point!" she fought back. "We _can't_ look after 'em. They ain't our problem and if they get too comfortable here, it's gonna make things harder for everyone. What happens when we get too _friendly_ with 'em and somethin' happens? You want another _mom_ –or another _Shawn?_ Or –"

"Stop it!" Maggie protested, pushing herself up from the chair. Both sisters had their patience wearing thin towards each other. Laura didn't know about Glenn and Maggie, what had happened at the pharmacy. Maggie never told her, although it was part of her plan. But it wasn't just about Glenn –she actually enjoyed the idea of having new people around, more people to talk to. She hated the attitude Hershel had created towards them; it poisoned her sister. And yes, maybe she was right about getting _too_ friendly. She didn't want to lose anyone else; Shawn and their mother were bad enough and everyone else they had in the barn.

Laura didn't back down. "What is it with you, huh? Why are you bein' so naïve, you're smarter than this!" her voice was a raised whisper as she minded Carl, who was still asleep. She didn't want to wake him, but she needed to confront Maggie about the whole thing.

Maggie shook her head, letting out a stiff sigh. "You don't understand," she said softly, nearly letting her little secret out. It wasn't much of a secret, her and Glenn, but she wanted to be the one to tell Laura instead of her hearing it from someone else on the farm.

"What don't I _'understand_ '?"

"Just forget it, alright?!" she snarled, starting to really lose it. "Is this how you wanna be?! Cold?! Turnin' your back on the world?!"

"If it means protectin' this family, _yes!_ " she barked back at her sister, silencing her. For a long pause, there was absolute silence in the room, just the two of them standing opposite each other, doing everything in their power to not look at the other. Both of them were mad, for different motives. They failed to see the other's point of view. But that wasn't the time to ponder. Just as Maggie was about to open her mouth to say something else, something fast and loud interrupted them.

Simultaneously, both of their heads shot up to the sound of a gunshot blasting across the calm exterior. It awakened everybody from their serene state of minds. Racing down the stairs, Hershel rushed outside with Beth right on his tail. By the time he got to the door, Lori, Carol and Patricia had joined up with them. Without a second thought, Laura and Maggie hurried outside too, all following Hershel and Lori, who had been alarmed by the sound of Rick's voice.

"RICK!"

They stopped at the gate, all frantically looking out into the distance, where they could see Rick, Glenn, Shane and T-Dog crowding around a heap.

"WHAT ON EARTH'S GOING ON OUT HERE!?" Hershel called out, his tolerance shrinking. He told them he didn't want guns on the farm, but they insisted.

From the camp, Andrea and Dale sprinted across to them to see what had happened. As they got closer to the house, it became clear that the figure was not dead. It was in fact, one of their own. It was Daryl. Someone had shot Daryl. Rick and Shane carried his unconscious body toward the farmhouse. His head hung, blood dripping from his temple and side. Laura's eyes widened, a wave of utter guilt rushing through her as she watched them drag him closer.

"Bring him inside," Hershel instructed, leading them back. They took him to the spare bedroom and set him down on the bed. "Maggie, get my kit," he fussed, closely inspecting the wound. She immediately disappeared, returning after a few minutes with exactly what was needed. "Laura, turn him over. I need space. Everyone out."

She did what he asked of her, desperate to help the man after she had abandoned him, gently tilting him onto his good side. His limp head flopped down. For the moment, they ignored the blood covering his mouth and dripping down his chin. It stained the bed, by they had more important things at hand than bed sheets. Within seconds, the room cleared with only Hershel and Laura crowding over Daryl. Laura was supposed to be checking the graze on his head, but instead, something else had caught her attention. She stood back, trying to get a full view of his back. Besides the tribal tattoo of some kind of demon, there were dry lashes across his length, possibly caused by a belt, maybe even some kind of whip. Although the scars weren't recent, they were deep and the dark purple outlines confirmed it.

Amongst the lashes, were small, round disfigurements, just about matching the size of a cigar. She flinched at the sight, looking away. It took Hershel two consecutive call outs to grasp her attention, but even then, she was too stunned. Hershel shifted over to her side, trying to see what she saw. It wasn't something that could be easily missed. He looked down, his voice telling him to look away inside his head.

"Daddy." Her voice was broken. "Are those…"

"He's bleedin' out." Hershel moved away and got right back to work. They didn't have time to dawdle, or discuss whatever the hell was going on with him. "Laura, c'mon."

Her lips sealed as she swallowed her breath. "Y-yeah, right."

He was right. Besides, if Daryl woke up, hearing them talk about the scars, she could only imagine that he wouldn't be too pleased. There was work that needed to be done. She nodded at her dad, telling him that they needed to get started right away. It only took an ice-cold rag across the forehead for Daryl to regain consciousness. He cringed from them instantly, something bringing a sense of fear over his blackened face.

"Easy now," she assured him, slowly moving closer. He relaxed. A stinging twinge struck him on the side of his head. He hissed in pain, clutching his head. Laura grabbed his hand away and held it down. "Hold on. This might hurt."

It wasn't like he had much of a choice anyway. He tried his best to keep his hand way from his head when she let go. It throbbed. Everything throbbed –his head, his side, his back. He lifted his head, his tank top out of sight, and watched Hershel clean around the arrow-inflicted wound.

"Watch it with th –" his voiced cracked. Laura tilted his head up, keeping him quiet as poured some alcohol onto a rag and gently began to dab the graze. It stung, perhaps a little more than the injury itself. First, she pressed it over the open skin to disinfect it before doing anything else. That hurt the most. He bit back, letting out small moans whenever she patted.

Daryl looked up at her. Her eyes were narrowed slightly as she concentrated, her bottom lip taken between her teeth. She was only inches away from him, her one hand holding his chin up with the other clutched the rag. At least the stinging had stopped.

"All done," she whispered, her lips swerving up at the corners. "You're a fuckin' idiot. Why didn't you come back with me?"

"Laura," Hershel strictly warned her, "watch your mouth."

She rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the bed, making her way to the bucket of clean water Patricia had brought in. Hershel handed her the cloth he had been using and she began to wash up. A knock on the door announced entry and soon Rick and Shane reentered the room, clutching a pink plush doll covered in mud and the folded up map. Shane spread the map across the bed.

"We found this," Rick said, holding the small doll up.

Daryl's eyes flickered. "I…um…found it washed up on the creek bed right there," he said and pointed to the area on the map, "must of dropped it crossin' or somethin'."

"Cuts the grid almost in half," Rick wondered, studying the trail Daryl pointed out for him.

"You're welcome." Daryl's voice was sarcastic. He put his attention back on Hershel, who was stitching up his side.

Rick looked up from the map, up at Laura, who was beginning to clean the dirt and blood from Daryl's face. "How's he lookin'?"

She didn't stop. She wrapped the warm cloth around her finger, the bucket of water resting on her lap as she wiped the mud from his forehead, chin and nose. He yanked the rag from her when she tried to clean his neck, insisting upon doing it himself. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Rick in the meantime. Hershel said his piece.

"Had no idea we'd be goin' through the antibiotics so quickly."

Daryl was alright. Given a day or two, he'd be up and running as if nothing happened. The main concern was how little medicine they had left. Soon, either Maggie or Laura was going to have to head back into town. No matter how hard he was trying, Daryl couldn't seem to clean it all off his neck. It agitated Laura as she watched him miss just about every spot and eventually, she ripped the cloth back and did it herself.

He was childishly stubborn, trying to put up a fight. "Nah, I got it."

"Shut up."

And so, just like that, the fight was over. He wasn't in the mood to go on with her anyway. Laura thought about what happened at the creek bed, how she had found him lying in the dirt. She wondered how he had managed to end up there in the first place, but then that thought just led to another. She pulled her hand back as soon as it hit her. Her brown eyes widened. "Oh yeah! Any idea what happened to my _horse_?"

"The one that tried to kill me? If it's smart, it left the country."

"Her name's Nelly," Hershel said, and snipped the excess thread off the stitches.

"As in 'Nervous Nelly'," Laura protruded, her eyes frowning. "Could've told you she'd throw you if you bothered to ask."

Daryl went quiet. She had told him a countless amount of times before to ask her before just taking one of her horses out. That one was on him. Perhaps it would've actually done him some good if he had in fact asked beforehand. She took his silence as an apology and wiped the last bit of filth from his face. Hershel stood up, telling her that he was going to wash the utensils up. She put the cloth in the bucket as he passed her.

She stood up too, but stayed inside the room, moving over to the cupboard in the corner. Daryl watched her closely, trying to figure out what it was she was desperately trying to reach out for. Losing the urge against his eyes, he caught himself staring, his eyes traveling lower and lower. Her dark blue tank top rode up, revealing her smooth midriff and slight curve. He looked away. The air in the room tightened and got somewhat thinner.

On the top shelve, there were stacks of clean linen, all between the color ranges of grey and white. The other half was patterned. She grabbed the first pile she could find, a soft cream one, and threw it on the floor before she shut the doors and stepped back in front of him.

"Up." As if he didn't hear her, he didn't say anything. She sighed and repeated herself. "Getcha ass up, c'mon, you can't sleep on this shitty sheet and pillow."

"It's alright –"

"Get up, or I'll pull you up."

With no apparent choice, Daryl slowly sat up, minding his side and his head. He stepped to the side as she moved in, quickly stripping the bed and replacing the dirty, blood-stained sheet he had been resting on. Maybe she was right. In a few minutes, she had the new pillowcases and sheets on, the old ones in a figureless pile on the floor.

"There you go." As if he was a child, she puffed up the pillows and set them upright for him as he slipped back onto the bed.

"You a doctor or somethin'?"

She had to laugh, even if it was short and minimal. He didn't come across as one for small talk, yet there she was, having a calm and collected discussion with Daryl Dixon, the rude crossbow-wielding hunter. "I was a med student, yeah. Would've graduated if the world didn't go to shit," she told him, scooping up the old mop of bedding. "Get some rest, alright? Dinner should be ready soon, I'll have someone bring you a plate." She opened the door, pausing as her head bowed in shame.

"I'm sorry I left you and that I didn't tell your people. This could've been avoided."

He lifted a shoulder. "Ain't your fault. I told you not to tell 'em," he scoffed, lifting the blanket further over his open chest uncomfortably. She was mildly surprised when he just shrugged it off like that, half expecting him to lose his shit with her. He was going to be alright, she knew that much. The wounds would heal soon and he would be up and gone, most probably back to being the biggest jerk on the farm.

She bit her smile gratefully and nodded and without another word between the two, Laura left, leaving Daryl by himself.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Don't forget to review! Thanks.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey people! Here's chapter 7. Sorry for the wait, but I've been sorting some stuff out lately. But that's all out of the way. I'll be updating this story more frequently from now, so that's good I guess. Here we go.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Laura turned over, lifting her knees up to her chest as she looked out the window. Another thing she loved about the farm was the open, clear sky at night. Almost every star was in sight, a rare opportunity to think freely. The rest of the house was quiet. Everyone was either asleep or lying in bed as she was doing. Or so, she assumed…

Just as she closed her eyes to drift away, there were footsteps coming up the stairs. At first, she just opened her eyes and gave it a listen, thinking it was Beth or Maggie just getting a drink from the kitchen. But, the footsteps got closer. It got louder. She lifted her head to listen more carefully. Then, her door crept open. She sat up, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness.

"L-Laura," Maggie's voice whispered as she gently shut the door behind her. She came closer, eventually sitting at the end of her bed. The first sort of reaction was annoyance. What business did Maggie have in her bedroom so late at night, especially after their little misunderstanding? But then she realized it had to be something serious, she must have been desperate. The only time Maggie ever came into her room in the middle of the night was when she was afraid, even though the last time she had done that was when she was ten.

" _What the hell_?" Laura grunted, rubbing her head. "Maggie, go to –"

"H-he knows." Her voice came out as a sob. "Glenn knows. He knows about the barn."

As expected, Laura's face dropped. She exhaled with a small groan, brushing her hand over her face. "How did he find out?"

"Please don't tell dad!" Maggie pleaded, wiping her face as she sat at the foot of Laura's double bed. She was going to tell Laura everything then and there –what had happened at the pharmacy all the way to how Glenn had found out about the barn. It was the least she could do and perhaps then, Laura would understand why she didn't want Rick's group to leave anytime soon.

The older Greene shook her head, promising her silence. "I won't tell," she swore. And Maggie knew she was a woman of her word. They always kept each other's secrets, Beth included. It was the three of them against Shawn back in the day, which sometime extended into the three of them and Shawn against Hershel and Annett.

Maggie took a deep breath, then she began. "Me and Glenn," she huffed, her crying had died out into small sniffs here and there. "When Rick's group moved to the farm, the day we buried Otis, Me and Glenn went down to the pharmacy, you remember?" Laura nodded quietly, prompting her to continue although she was certain that she knew where the story was headed. "We did it," Maggie rushed her words out quickly, almost like she wanted to get it over and done with. "We had sex…"

Laura's lips parted, her eyes closed. " _Oh Maggie_." She bit her lip and shook her head. "That's why you don't want 'em to leave? Oh my God."

She sniffed and nodded her head. At least telling Laura the truth didn't end as badly as she had expected. She was actually trying to understand the predicament. She actually had some compassion, more than Maggie had given her credit for. The eldest Greene shuffled closer to Maggie, pulling her into hug while her hands gently rubbed her shoulders. She finally continued the story.

"I asked him where he wanted to meet me tonight –he wrote it down, b-but I read it too late. He wanted to meet me in the barn. That's when he saw it…"

The whole barn situation had bothered Laura since day one. She hated what Hershel did, how he kept those _things_ alive and well, right on the farm. Even with Shawn and Annette still in there, she didn't like it. To her, they were dead and she had watched them die from the infection. They all did when it broke out, including Hershel. She remembered how he had cut them all off from the outside world, forbidding them to watch the news or listen to the radio. But she knew deal; she used to sit in her car at night while everybody was asleep to listen to the broadcasts.

And when Hershel told everyone that he was planning on feeding the creatures, she refused. She always kept her distance from the barn and ignored anyone who ever brought it up. That was one of the things she admired about Rick's group –the fact that they were aware of what was going on. They knew the dangers and the risks. They knew the things were dead and made sure that they stayed that way after being put down.

Whenever she even tried to talk to her father about it, he shut her down instantly and that was that. She tried to tell him that he was wrong and that the monsters were walking corpses, but he was too stubborn to even consider her point of view. With Rick's group, at least she wasn't alone. Not that it was any of their business what they kept in their barn.

She knew why Maggie was afraid of Hershel finding out about Glenn being in the barn. He would be angry, there was no doubt, and if Glenn let the rest of his group know about what he saw, they would certainly make a scene, especially with people like Daryl and Shane. There was no way that they would overlook it.

"It's alright, Mags," Laura assured her, resting her head on Maggie's shoulder. "Your secret's safe with me. We'll fix this together, okay?" Maggie nodded again, believing her sister's every word. She knew then that she had made the right choice telling her and asking her for help. It seemed like the tension between the two had cleared up since their argument earlier in the day.

Maggie let out a thick sniff and nodded her head. "Thank you. I knew I could come to you."

"I have an idea," Laura hesitantly brought up and Maggie listened, desperate for some kind of solution. "We have beef jerky and peaches. Maybe you can give Glenn some for his group. Bribe him a little. Just until we can figure this whole thing out.

It wasn't the best idea, but it was good enough to buy them some more time. Glenn would tell his group sooner or later and when that happened, there would be utter chaos. Laura could already see it all play out in her mind. The group would be off the farm in a flash if they even tried to confront Hershel about it –or even if they tried handling things themselves.

After a few moments, Laura released Maggie and she got up, taking a deep breath and nodding her head. "Alright," she sighed, "you're right. I'll talk to him first thing in the mornin'."

"Good."

"I'm gonna go get some rest. Sorry for disturbin' you."

Laura shook her head. "Don't be, sweetpea. It's alright." She waited for her sister to leave the room before pressing her back down onto her bed, allowing her imagination to possess her as she watched the galaxy above.

…

The farm was a lot noisier with the group around. If they weren't having a big discussion right outside, underneath her window, they were marching in and out of the house. Laura could never sleep later than eight. Even that was pushing it. After stretching her arms and legs out to touch the frame of her bed, she opened her eyes and got up slowly, allowing her head to find itself before she eventually got dressed and brushed her teeth.

"Mornin'!" she yawned tiredly at whoever was there, throwing herself down the stairs as she used her hands to take her hair out of her collar. The first place she went to was the guest bedroom to check up on her patient, but when she rounded the doorway and stepped into the room, it was empty, and the bed was neatly made with fresh white covers. There was no trace of Daryl anywhere.

"He was out of the house before sunrise. Didn't make a sound," Jimmy's voice came from the living room behind her. She didn't really care that he wasn't there anymore, but she was hoping to see if her medical skills were still adequate enough by inspecting his wounds once more. But he wasn't there and she wasn't going to look for him. She had already done her part.

"You just missed Maggie," Jimmy went on, opening the front door to leave. "She told me to tell you that she's 'doing it now', whatever that means."

Laura forced a weak smile to get rid of the teenager already. He had a habit of not taking hints. "Thank you, I know what it means." Jimmy nodded, opening the front door to leave. She assumed he was going to Rick and Shane. She knew he liked having them around. Before the group came, the only other men around were Hershel and Otis. He respected Hershel too much to have a friendlier relationship than they already had and his relationship with Otis was awkward, maybe even none-existent. The point was that he was happy to have more men around, and Laura wasn't about to burst his bubble.

"Oh and uh," he paused, looking back at her. His lips smiled weakly. "Nelly came back this mornin'."

A rush of relief and happiness swam through her as soon as she heard the news. Nelly was back, her baby was back after abandoning Daryl in the woods. She knew the horse would return sooner or later, she always did, but it usually only happened a _few_ days after she ran away, never within twenty-four hours.

She followed Jimmy outside excitedly. She needed to check up on Nelly, see if she was alright. As she had guessed, Jimmy made a bee-line straight towards Rick and Shane, right on the edge of their camp. Laura went for the stables.

But her route quickly switched when her eyes stumbled across something in the near distance –Maggie clutching a basket of peaches and a full packet of jerky as she spoke with Glenn. Laura's intention wasn't to interrupt the discussion, but to just listen, but as she got closer, she heard them arguing. Sure enough, Maggie was trying to buy Glenn's silence with food and by the looks of it, it wasn't working. The eldest Greene switched intentions immediately, marching over to the pair.

"Shh," Maggie was hushing him. "Trust me on this one."

Glenn shook his head frantically. "But I _suck_ at lying," he whispered back to her, "I can't even play poker; it's too much like lying."

Both of their heads turned at the sound of Laura closing in. Her eyes were glued on Glenn, and he knew he was going to get it from her as well as Maggie did. The younger Greene gave the floor to her sister.

"Listen to me," her voice lowered as she stepped closer to Glenn, her eyes narrowed. "This doesn't concern you or your group. Keep your mouth shut and we'll sort it out, alright?" At least Maggie was nicer about it. Laura didn't hold anything back. Glenn gulped, his foot sliding backwards to create some distance between him and her. She backed off, reading his sudden insecurity.

" _Please_ ," Maggie begged him, adding on to what Laura had said. "Trust me. Trust _us_." She took off with that, preventing him from taking the argument any further. Laura followed, glaring past Glenn as she overtook him to get back on her way to the stables. He wasn't a bad guy and she didn't _want_ to be rude, but if it meant that he would keep his mouth shut, she was willing to do it.

Her father was already in the stables when she arrived, brushing down Nelly's coat. For a second, she forgot all about the thing with Glenn, as she rushed to stroke her horse's snout, just the way she liked it.

"Hey baby girl," she cooed, nuzzling her nose against the horse's long snout. "Welcome home."

"Found her in her stall this mornin'," Hershel said, a small smile on his face. "She was hungry."

Laura reached over to the bucket on the wall, grabbing a handful of hay. She brought it to Nelly, enjoying the rough, rubbery lips against the palm of her hand. The feeling of a horse's mouth feeding from her hand had always been amongst her favorite feelings in the world for some reason.

Maybe she would tell Daryl about Nelly's return, maybe it would put him a bit at ease. But she knew he didn't care –he probably didn't give the smallest damn that he had lost the horse in the first place. Maybe it was time to move on. The important thing was that Nelly was back and well.

"Beth and Patricia and Jimmy," Hershel started, pausing until he got her full attention. "They're goin' out with Rick's group. Shane's teachin' 'em to shoot a gun."

Laura said nothing. There was nothing _to_ say. Good for them, and the sarcasm in her mind was just as good as if she had actually said it. There was no way she was going to let that man tell her what to do, dictate to her. Besides, it wasn't as though she didn't already know her way around a gun, a _shotgun_ to be precise. Hershel had taught her, both her and Maggie. She was sure that she could remember everything.

"You're not goin'?" he asked her. But he already knew the answer. She shook her head quietly and he left it at that. "I figured that it might be wise for them to know how to defend themselves against…" his sentence drifted off, but Laura was quick to fill in the missing words herself, even if her version didn't match that of her father's.

"The dead?" The words fell out of her mouth. "Right? I mean, that's _really_ the only thing I could think of."

"Laura…"

Biting her teeth, she rolled her eyes at his petty pleas. "No," she snapped, inhaling a good amount of air before she forced the words out. "When are you goin' to wake up? Tomorrow? After one of those _things_ you keep inside the barn kills me? Or Beth or Maggie? Patricia and Jimmy? _You?_ They ain't sick, for Christ's sake, they're…"

" _Laura –"_ he tried to get a word in, but she just raised her voice over his.

" _…_ dead. They're _dead_ , daddy. They're _monsters._ They're dead _monsters_. And what's gonna happen when one of Rick's group finds out? Do you think they're just gonna _go with it_? I mean –"

"ENOUGH!" He slammed the rope in his hand down hard. The volume of his voice caused her to jump. But she wasn't afraid of speaking her mind, no matter how he felt about it. She didn't care one bit. Her eyes hardened as she glared at him, her face folding into an angry and impatient frown. Sometimes, it was like she was talking to a brick wall. It was like he wasn't even _listening_ or trying to understand what she was saying. And she was one hundred percent sure that she was right. She got her stubbornness from her father, alright

"I don't wanna hear any more of this nonsense, understand? And Rick's group has no say in this. In a couple of days, they'll be off the farm."

She didn't nod her head. She didn't give him an indication that she was going to back down at all. Because she wasn't about to, not even for a second. And he knew that already. "You couldn't save mom or Shawn," she started softly, taking a different approach to the matter. "But you can save us. I don't wanna die, and I sure as _hell_ don't want my _baby_ sisters to die either."

Hershel went quiet as he stared at her long and hard. But before he could say anything to her privately, someone else entered the stables. It was Dale. He walked in unhurriedly, not having the slightest clue about what he had just interrupted.

"Nervous Nelly. She find her way home?" he asked them, a small smile on his face. Hershel broke the eye contact between him and Laura and picked up Nelly's brush, going back to his business as though nothing had happened. All he achieved by doing that, was making Laura even angrier than she was originally. She absolutely hated it when he did that –when he refused to hear her out and when he treated her like she was a twelve year old.

"Found her in her stall," Hershel replied to Dale, who had just about reached them on the other side. The old man lifted his hand steadily, soothingly rubbing Nelly's nose just the way she liked it and she released a gentle neigh in response. Reaching his hand into the bucket of hay on the stable wall, he grabbed a handful and fed her.

"I love your fields," he spoke again to Hershel, while Laura kept uncharacteristically quiet. She wanted to leave, she wanted to storm out of the place, maybe cause a scene. Maybe, and only _maybe_ Hershel would get the message then. But her feet were molded into the ground. "Took a long walk this morning," Dale continued with Hershel not paying too much attention. It didn't seem like the story really had much of a point. But, Dale spoke on, and what he said next, flipped it all around. "I ended up by the _barn_."

And that seemed to grab Hershel's attention, as well as Laura's. The old farmer stopped brushing down Nelly's thick mane, and turned to Dale. But Laura's concentration was more on her father, to see the rapid drop in his face. She internally egged Dale on, hoping that he was going where she thought he was. Even Hershel knew what was to come.

"I heard the moans."

Her head snapped quickly from Dale to Hershel and she kept her face neutral as she waited for his response. She pressed her lips together, forming a straight line.

"That's unfortunate."

Dale's face straightened as his tone became morbidly serious. "I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping this a secret."

"I saw the broadcasts before they stopped," Hershel said, going back to combing down the horse in front of him. "Saw the irrational fear, the atrocities. Like what happened in my well."

For a while, Laura had almost completely forgotten about what had happened in the well. She wasn't there to witness it herself, and neither was Hershel, but Maggie was there. She watched the entire thing –how they sent Glenn down on a rope to tie the creature up so they could simply pull it out of the well before it infected the water. To Laura, that seemed like the smart thing to do, and she regretted missing it. Apparently something had gone wrong, and they tore the thing into to severed pieces of rotting flesh and guts. Obviously, Hershel wasn't _too_ happy upon hearing about this.

"We put down a walker," Dale defended himself, and his group.

But Hershel was still having none of it. "No. You _killed_ a man."

"Well if you watched the same broadcasts I did, you saw walkers _attack_. _Kill_. They're dangerous." Laura wanted so badly to throw her fist up into the air and scream it out for everyone to hear. Finally someone had verbalized it. Finally someone had uttered the truth. A strange sort of excitement rushed through her, a feeling that somehow empowered her within.

Her father shook her head, sighing a half annoyed, stubborn huff. "We don't shoot sick people."

And finally, she couldn't contain herself any longer. She needed to escape, before she said something she would ultimately regret. So, she let out a humorless snort, threw her hands up and shook her head. "Oh my God!" she breathed out, glancing at Dale before sending a sharp glare in her father's direction. "You just don't get it, daddy. Wake up!"

Rolling her eyes again, Laura took off without another word, brushing right past Dale and out of the stables before she said or did something she would ultimately regret. They would just have to deal with it again later, when they were alone. Hopefully by then, she would have Maggie on her side at least.

…

"Maggie?!" Laura gasped, eyeing the blood stain on her crisp white blouse. She stood up, leaping out of her favorite old rocking chair on the porch, towards her younger sister. "What the hell happened to you? Are you okay? Is that your blood?" She kept her voice low, low enough for Hershel not to hear them if he was anywhere near the house.

Maggie looked down at the ground, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "N-no, it's not mine," she said softly, shaking her head. She looked up at Laura. "At the pharmacy. Out of nowhere, there was one of those _things_. It grabbed me," she told, her bottom lip quivering in fear before she continued. Laura's eyes widened as she heard the story and she brought her hand over her mouth in horror. "If Glenn hadn't –"

"Oh my God," Laura choked, pulling Maggie into a tight hug as she started to cry. She could imagine how scary it must have been for her baby sister –her first close-up encounter with one of those things. Her own first time was simply terrifying, when she had found Daryl in the stream. She mentally reminded herself to thank Glenn some time and maybe even apologizing for being so harsh on him previously. "Let's get you cleaned up before dad sees."

Swathing an arm around her, the older Greene escorted Maggie to the upstairs bathroom, to get rid of the muck on her once crisp-white blouse before Hershel, or even Patricia or Beth could see what had happened. At least now she was sure that Maggie had her back.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Feel free to drop a review :D**


	8. Author's note!

**No chapter, sorry guys!**

 **But, there is going to be an update VERY soon. I've changed so much of the story, which is what I've been working on these past few months. I'm adding a new original character in the next chapter, and I just need to edit it before I can post it. I'm super excited to share my new ideas with you!**

 **Watch this space!**

 **Love, Crowfliesmyass**


	9. Chapter 8

**So, here it is, just as promised! A new chapter! I'm super nervous about what you all think about my decision to add a new character, but she plays a HUGE part in future chapters. I'd really love to hear your opinions on her, by the way, because I've never created a character like this one. Anyway, I'll stop rambling. Here's chapter 8. Chapter 9 is coming really soon, so stay tuned. Love you all.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx**

" _…Tampons, energy bars and aspirin,"_ Laura re-read the list for about the third time that morning before she refolded the piece of paper and tucked it back into the back pocket of her dark blue jeans. Smiling weakly to herself, she reached forward, gently stroking the space behind Nelly's ear. "Alright honey, you ready to go?"

She patted the side of his neck before moving back, lifting her first foot to hook onto the saddle before she vaulted the rest of her body up onto the horse's back. It was her turn to go to town and get supplies, since Maggie had done it twice before. And after the near-death experience her sister had at the pharmacy, Laura became reluctant to let Maggie go again, even with Glenn to protect her. She still needed to thank him for saving Maggie's life.

She had told a white lie when Hershel asked her why she wanted to go to town. She told him that she needed to get some stuff from the _feminine hygiene_ section and thankfully, he didn't ask any further questions. The truth was that after what happened in the stables the day before, between her and her father, the atmosphere in the house was thick and almost unbearable. She needed to get out of the house. She needed to get off the farm. Just for a couple of hours, to clear her head.

The ride to town wasn't _too_ far on horse. She could have taken her car, but she craved a horse ride and Nelly needed the exercise anyway. After all, the last person who had taken her out was Daryl and that didn't end well for either of them. There was a shortcut to town, through the neighboring farms, all of which had been completely abandoned. Most of her friends who had lived there were long gone, either dead or somewhere far. She hoped they got away, especially the ones who had kids.

It took some getting used to, the quietness of the ride. The lack of cars and people were haunting the first few times she had gone out. But with most things, she had grown numb to it. At least it was a small town with few people. That meant fewer walkers. In fact, there were no walkers in town when she usually went, just dead bodies sometimes.

The pharmacy was basically on the edge of town, so it was easily accessible and it made the run ten times quicker. When she got closer, Nelly slowed her gallop until she was trotting calmly through the bare streets, and when she reached the pharmacy, Laura parked the horse outside and tied her to the pillar just in case. Grabbing her baseball bat from Nelly's saddle bag, she finally made her way inside.

As she slowly pushed the door open, the bell above the door ringed cheerfully, reminding Laura of when she was a little girl, when she used to go to the pharmacy with her mother. The bell would alarm the friendly pharmacist of their arrival and he would generously assist them with whatever they needed. The best part was that he had a bowl of red lollipops on his desk, and each time Laura and her mother went there, she would leave with one in her mouth.

Laura scanned the store as best as she could, keeping the noise to an absolute minimum as she warily clutched the bat. But the store was empty, walker free. So in turn, she lowered the bat and with a sigh, went over to the first aisle; the energy bars and candy. There wasn't much left, so she took everything that was left and shoved it into her backpack before moving to the next aisle. _Bath and body._

There was a mess of things on the floor –shelves and supplies scattered around her feet. Something must have happened, since the last time she had been there, the pharmacy was still in top shape. She wondered if it had anything to do with Maggie and Glenn; whether it was the attack that had happened or something else. _Oh well_. She crouched down with her backpack in her hands and her bat temporality set on the ground and grabbed whatever she could, soap, shampoo, whatever she thought was needed at the farm.

With her back towards the counter and her mind preoccupied with loading her bag, she hardly heard the shuffling coming from the back of the store. But when she paused to listen, it quickly became quite clear that she wasn't alone in the pharmacy. And whether it was another person or a walker, she couldn't quite make out. A rush of nerves flew through her, and she bit her teeth. Still, her hand reached out for her bat before she stood up and turned around, nice and easy.

"Come out!" she demanded, her stance tall and stiff as she raised the bat and stepped closer towards the counter. She kind of hoped that it was a person she was talking to, and not a stupid walker. Whatever it was, she wasn't taking any chances. "I know you're there and believe me, I will _beat_ the shit out of you if you try anythin'!"

Then, there was a hushed whisper coming from behind the counter, and her relief kicked in after confirming that it was indeed, another person. Still, she kept her stance as she yelled out one more time. "Come out, asshole!"

And finally, from behind the counter, she could see a head bobbing up and down as it made its way around and to the front. The bat rose above Laura's head, and paused when the person came into view. It was a child, a little girl with dark brown hair and matching eyes that matched her own. She had on a light grey sweater and pink corduroy pants with black boots. Strapped to her back was a pink Barbie backpack.

Laura's hand fell down immediately, with the bat. Her face softened as she crouched down to meet the girl's height. But the girl kept her distance, and the longer Laura stared at her, the more she noticed the puffy redness in her eyes. She was clear that she had been crying.

"Uh…hi there, sweetheart." Laura's lips curved into a small smile. "Sorry for scarin' you. What's your name? My name's Laura." The girl hesitated with a small sniff, but didn't respond. Laura slowly moved forward, but paused when the girl cringed backwards with a hint of fear glistening in her eyes. "Whoa whoa!" Laura raised her hands. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Where's your momma? Or your daddy?"

"Momma's sleepin'," she responded quietly, "she's been sleepin' for days…"

It didn't take much to convince Laura of what _really_ happened. Her stomach pulled tight, in an ugly and almost unbearable knot. She jumped to the worst, possible scenario immediately. She took a couple of steady steps closer, and this time the girl didn't back away. "Sleepin', huh?" she forced the words out. "Honey, what's your name?"

"P-P-Peggy."

" _Peggy_ ," she repeated to herself as she crouched down right in front of her and smiled again. "Pretty name. Do you wanna show me where your momma's at?"

Peggy nodded hesitantly, but her hand quickly grabbed Laura's before she turned around and led her to the back room. "She's sleepin' in there." The door was closed, but not locked. Laura inhaled and closed her eyes, then pressed her ear against the cool wooden door to have a listen. But it was silent. _Deadly_ silent, and she exhaled again, her mind once again flickering to the worst case.

She panicked a little, torn between the options she had in front of her –if the girl's mother _was_ dead, would that mean that she would have to take the girl back to the farm with her? It seemed like the best option at that point, and it made the most sense. She was still young, and the others would just have to understand and get over it. Besides, they had more than enough supplies to go around, and a girl _that_ small probably didn't even take up that much room.

But what if the woman was infected? Maybe she had been bitten, and had turned into one of those _things_? Laura had yet to deal with one of them by herself, one on one. The last time she had Daryl to save her ass, although she hated to admit it.

Laura looked down at the girl. "You sure she's inside?" her voice creaked. Peggy nodded confidently. Laura crouched down in front of her again and took a deep breath. "I'm gonna go in, alright? But I need you to stay _right_ here. Just trust me, okay?" The girl nodded her head again.

Laura stood her full height, her sweaty hands gripping the bat firmly. She didn't want to raise it just yet, just in case she scared the girl again. But she made damn sure it was ready to hit the shit out of anything that might jump out at her, alive or not. She pressed her hand down on the door handle, turned back to give Peggy one last reassuring smile, and pushed it open.

As soon as the door was open, the foul stench hit her nose and sent her into a coughing frenzy. It smelt of human waste and decomposition, and it was more than enough to make anyone empty out their stomach contents right there. The room was dimly lit by a tiny candle that was on the verge of burning out in the corner of the room and there was a buzzing noise coming from the flies. Laura pressed her hand over her nose and mouth, trying to lessen the disgusting odor, before she stepped back into the doorway of the dark room.

It was hard to make out what was in the room, but the weak flame of the candle provided enough light to reflect against the thin mattress that was against the wall. Suddenly, there was a bloodcurdling growl from the back of the room, and before she could even identify it as a walker, a body lunged itself at the door, and Laura quickly pulled it shut just in time.

"Oh my God!" she panted, holding the door closed. She probably didn't need to, but her hand was molded to the handle. Her heart throbbed in her chest, and her eyes were wide. Peggy screamed out and Laura let go of the door handle. The walker banged on the door on the other side hungrily, as Laura slowly backed away from it, allowing Peggy to duck behind her.

The girl wrapped her arms around Laura's legs and shut her tearful eyes, her lip quivering. "I don't like this place!" she cried out, "I'm scared!"

Wrapping an arm around the girl, Laura stared at the door, jumping at each bang on the door. The thing was probably going to get out, one way or another, and she wasn't going to stick around to see it. "C'mon, let's go!" she said breathlessly, and with her bat in one hand, she herded Peggy towards the entrance of the pharmacy, sending cautious glances over her shoulder. She grabbed her backpack on the way and when they got to the door, she pushed the door open gently to prevent the bell from going off and allowed the girl to get out first before she followed.

"Where's my momma?!"

With her back pressed against the pharmacy door, Laura closed her eyes and breathed. She counted down to ten in her mind, just giving herself a moment to pull it together again after what she had just seen. There was no doubt that the girl's mother was dead or _more_ that just dead. But she almost certainly didn't even understand what was happening or what had just happened in the pharmacy.

She pushed herself off the door and got down on one knee in front of Peggy. "How old are you?"

"F-Five." She held up five fingers. Fuck, she was only five. Five years old and already an orphan. Laura bit her lip, biting her own tears back for Peggy's sake. The last thing the girl probably needed was to see some stranger cry. Laura reached out her hands slowly and seized the two small hands that were at Peggy's sides.

"Peggy, sweetheart," she started, and took a deep breath. "Your momma…she's not comin' back. She's not goin' to wake up."

"How do you know?"

"I just –" Laura swallowed the ball of broken glass " –I just do…I'm sorry…"

Laura had expected Peggy to cry –to practically burst out into tears. She had mentally prepared herself to comfort her already. But Peggy's face was numb. There were no tears, not a single one. She stood in front of Laura, staring into the distance quietly, without another question or word.

Laura's eyes began to burn. The whole made her think about her own mother, whom they had lost to cancer about twenty years earlier. She remembered being eight years old, with Hershel trying to explain to her and an even younger Maggie that their dear mother was gone. It still hurt like hell.

Peggy took a long breath, before she redirected her eyes to meet Laura's again. Her face folded into a frown. "What now?"

Laura sucked air, and held her breath. There was only so much that _could_ be done. She released Peggy's hands and stood up to her full height again. Her eyes quickly darted around the area just to make sure they were still alone and safe. The town was a desert around them –hot and vacant. Not a single sign of life anywhere anymore. The little girl watched her with a waiting face, waiting to hear a response.

After a moment, Laura met her eyes again –her begging, fearful eyes which in many ways, reminded her of her own. She exhaled. She knew exactly what she had to do…

…

Laura wiped her face, although it had already been dried by the pounding wind against her face during the ride back to the farm. Her mind was still trying to process it, everything that had just happened in the short space of one morning. A single morning and her life had flipped around completely. Maybe more so than the dead rising. She had another life to take care of, besides her own. Besides her father and her sisters and Patricia and Jimmy.

The little girl in front of her sat still, holding on tightly, her precious pink Barbie backpack still strapped to her back. The girl was a stranger, with no relation to Laura whatsoever. But now, suddenly, Laura was all she had left in the new world.

Nelly's gallop retreated into a trot as they reached the edge of the farm, and with her eyes focused on the stables in the distance, Laura hardly noticed how much attention she was drawing to herself. More specifically, how much attention Peggy was drawing from Rick's group. They all watched in silence as Nelly trotted past their camp and straight to the stables, where she automatically stopped once she was inside.

Laura hopped off the horse first. Biting back her words, she sighed vacantly, carefully wrapping her arms around the girl's waist and lifting her off Nelly's back.

"Is this my new house?" Peggy finally asked, her big eyes on Laura. With no other suitable response, she nodded her head. "Are you my _new_ momma?" The question froze Laura, and for the moment, she forgot every word she could speak. _A new momma, just hours after your biological one turned into a cannibalistic freak and tried to eat us._ A new house, a new family, all in a single day.

Her mouth opened, but the effort to speak seemed too much. "Are you?" the girl prompted further, poking for an answer, and Laura was almost completely lost for words.

"Just –Just give me a sec, honey," she managed to conjure. "I gotta put Nelly here back in her stall real quick so she can rest up."

As soon as they stepped out of the stables, she was met by Rick's group, who had all formulated around the entrance, questions already on the tip of their nosy tongues. Laura stopped and looked around at them, internally bracing herself for what was about to happen. Naturally, Shane stepped forward first with concerns of his own.

"You said you were goin' out to get _supplies,"_ he scoffed, eyeing Peggy. "Not a kid."

She rolled her eyes and sighed audibly as she picked Peggy up protectively, trying to prevent any direct interaction between the little girl and Shane. She shifted her to her hip. "Don't start with me, Shane, this doesn't concern you. This doesn't concern _any_ of you so back the hell up."

"What's your daddy gonna say 'bout this?" Shane started again mockingly. Peggy starred at Shane quietly, then curiously transferred her gaze to Rick, Lori and then Carl, the only other child she had seen so far on the farm.

But Laura was too exhausted to fight with him. She rolled her eyes at him again and stepped forward, her face solidifying into a subtle snarl. "Bite me," she said to him, her eyes narrowing into slits. With that, she pushed past him with her free shoulder, marching with Peggy on her hip to the house.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, hon. It's just that, I don't really like that man," her harsh tone dissolved into a whisper as she spoke.

Peggy turned her head around, looking at Shane with a small frown. "He's mean."

"He's an _asshole_."

"You said a curse," she muttered softly in response.

Mentally kicking herself, Laura gritted her teeth as she hopped up the steps onto the porch. "I'm sorry, Peggy, I shouldn't have said that," she apologized and the girl's face fell softly, accepting the apology. Laura pushed the front door open slowly, creeping in as she took in the empty living room. She put Peggy down and crouched down in front of her to meet her height, taking her small hands with her own.

"Listen, sweetpea," she sighed deeply, gently swaying their hands from left to right. "I gotta introduce you to my family first. My daddy and my sisters. Don't worry, they're gonna _love_ you. They're _real_ nice."

"And your momma?"

Laura inhaled, a strained smile on her lips. "My momma, well, she's, uh… _somewhere_ _else._ In a better place, like your momma."

"I like your house." And Laura was thankful that she didn't venture any further. The second she opened her mouth to say something, someone entered the room from the kitchen behind her and paused. She spared Peggy one more look before she turned her head around, resting her eyes on none other than her father. He stared at Peggy for a moment, before shifting his eyes to Laura and for what seemed like forever, they remained like that –quietly staring at each other.

Hershel was the first to break the quietness. He cleared his throat and stepped forward. "You get what you need from the pharmacy?"

"Yeah…," Laura muttered, standing up, "dad, this is Peggy. Peggy, this here is my dad." Peggy lifted her hand and waved, a friendly but shy smile on her lips. It stunned Laura, the fact that she was still smiling after everything that had happened around her, but she didn't dare question it. "Dad, can I talk to you?" she turned to Hershel, and he turned around towards the kitchen. She followed. He was awfully quiet after that. His lips were nothing but a straight, pale line on his face as he leaned against the kitchen counter and waited for her to start. She didn't waste any time.

"Back at the pharmacy," she started her story, "Peggy was hidin' out there with her mother. Her mother was already…, _"_ She didn't know what else to call it without starting another argument with him. And there wasn't time –or energy left for another argument. Especially when it was an argument with a brick wall.

"She wasn't –she wasn't right in the head…"

"Where's the woman now?" Hershel interjected.

Laura winced at the question, but answered truthfully anyway. She didn't have any reason to lie. "She's still there," she confided, her voice getting softer. "There was nothin' I could do, I –"

"And this is her daughter?"

Laura nodded quietly. Hershel shifted his weight to his other leg as he took a deep breath. "I –I just couldn't, y'know..."

In the other room where Peggy was, Hershel heard the front door swing open before a couple of slow footsteps. _Maggie._ Maggie had just seen Peggy. Not even a second later, she stomped into the kitchen, her face folded into a confused frown as she looked at Hershel, and then Laura, expecting some explanation.

"What's goin' on? Who's that?"

Laura folded her arms across her chest. "Her name's Peggy. She's stayin' with us from now on. I'm lookin' after her."

Maggie stared at Laura for a few seconds, blinking hard as she tried to process it all and try to accept the newest member of the family. It was hard not to accept her –after all she _was_ just a child, and she probably didn't even understand what was going on. She turned back to Peggy after, a small, accepting smile creeping onto her pale face as she crouched down to meet the girl's height.

"Hi, _Peggy,"_ she flashed her teeth more and held out her hand, "I'm Maggie. Welcome aboard." Peggy tucked her chin in shyly and grinned anyway, slowly reaching out to shake Maggie's warm and soft hand. "I think you're really gonna like it here. We have lots of animals, maybe you can come with me to see the chickens tomorrow mornin'? You can help me collect the eggs."

Peggy nodded her head eagerly, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. "Yeah…I like chickens..."

Maggie let out a small laugh and nodded her head. "Well that's good, sweetheart. I'm glad you do. I think you and me are gonna be good friends."

Laura moved closer to the young girl, holding out her warm hand for her to take. "C'mon Pegs," she cocked her head upwards and exchanged a quick, thankful beam at Maggie. "Let's go meet Beth and the others. I'm sure they'd _love_ to be your friend too.."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **So what do you think? I'd love to know! Drop me a DM or a review. Thank you x**


End file.
